Just A Little Time
by TheAmbiguousFool
Summary: [Sequel to Just A Little Vacation] - Shego tries to manage a war whilst trying to be supportive of her traumatized girlfriend. Uncovering more of Global Justice's secrets makes this all the more difficult as she's only a step behind Kim falling into a downward spiral. KiGo. [slow burn]
1. Chapter 1

A light breeze licked her black hair and the sight of wet dew still sparkled on the training fields of a Global Justice base. She took a breath of the autumn air and blocked out the groans of two immobilized guards behind her. She stepped into the roadstop just before the GJ gate and made herself heard over the the yard's P.A. system. A soft, velvet voice, "Would Dr. Betty Director one-eyed-cunt-fuck please report to the front of the building? Again, that's Dr. Betty Director one-eyed-cunt-fuck to the front of the building please." Her voice ended with a short, muffled chuckle that echoed in the air before the sound of the receiver clicked off. She smiled at the security cameras, stepped out of the road stop, and waited for any GJ personnel to confront her first. It was fun to watch them scramble through the chain linked fence. _Arrogant mice._ A small handful, four, approached the border with modified weapons. It was unknown if they were deadly but she would exercise caution anyway, "What? Not happy to see me?" She raised her hands slowly.

The group came to a halt with a bit of a jostle and a mild slip on the grass, "GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" One of the overzealous GJ soldiers shouted. A boom in his voice, the kind that came from being a veteran drill sergeant. He wasn't without a bit of overconfidence, however, and believed he could thwart a veteran villain with his men. He'd shoot at any sign of her glow, regardless of how modicum.

That smile still tugging on her lips, "I'm just sending a message boys."

"You have to the count of three to comply! We _WILL_ open fire! One!"

She grinned, _how exciting._

"Two!"

She turned her palms up in a shrug and uttered the words for him, "Three."

The soldiers' commander ordered that deadly word, "FIRE!" Shego immediately sprinted away.

A barrage of green glow was being hurled at them. The gunfire stopped fairly quickly and Shego was left unscathed. The soldiers, on the other hand, were unconscious with moderate burns. She walked forward and tore through the chain linked obstruction that was blocking her path. Shego took a moment to look around, a moment to ensure the downed men weren't hurt more than she wanted, and a moment for a familiar voice in her earpiece that told her it was clear to move forward but to be cautious of an approaching vehicle.

The vehicle stopped just before the fallen men. She could hear Dr. Director barking her orders, to have all of her men stand down, through the vehicle's radio. The soldier in the vehicle looked to be a new recruit, a little scared, not hardened completely by training or experience yet. He looked at her with inquisitive eyes that seemed to ask for permission to load up the downed men and get them help. She signaled with a shrug and pushed a wave of her hand to say 'go right ahead.'

It was quite a walk to the front of the Global Justice offices and thought to ask him to drive her up. Her voice fused with a little sarcasm and a hint of seduction, "Hey cutie, you mind giving me a ride?"

Knowing full well he didn't have a choice, he complied respectfully, "Um, no problem… ma'am, h-hop in."

"Ooo, so polite, you're a keeper." Her sultry voice made him smirk but he quickly hid it. He was embarrassed he was so easily influenced by a small compliment.

He got over this and quickly asked, "Where to exactly, ma'am?"

She stretched her arm over his shoulder, speaking softly in his ear, "Just to the front of _that_ building over there would be just fine soldier."

"Straight away." He was nervous and conflicted. He was taking the enemy right to where she wanted to go. He believed himself a coward for not attempting to stop her. But, the orders _were_ to stand down, and, for him, to retrieve the downed men; then again, there were no orders for him to assist either. He hoped nothing would come of it because he was new and more noticeably, scared. They sped down the road, Shego stretched her body as if the car seat were her couch, and she let out a soft moan. The distraction made the driver take a brief peek at her curves through the rear-view mirror. He almost apologized for it, but didn't, believing it went unnoticed.

He was afraid to speak, but wanted at least some confirmation that she wasn't going to kill anyone. Even if it were a lie, he needed something to calm his nerves, "If you don't mind me asking ma'am, what do y-"

"Just a message, private um…"

He gave his name willfully, "Norwood, Eli Norwood."

"Norwood," she acknowledged, "Well Eli, you needn't worry about a thing. I'm just here to make things right. Does that sound good to you?" She kept her voice calm, non-threatening. It did ease her driver somewhat.

"Yes ma'am." He was certain that was the best and only answer to give.

The building was near now, "Good. Why don't you drop these angry, unpleasant boys to your medics and come back in five minutes?"

"Um, ma'am?" He thought his job was done.

"Up to you, it'll just take me longer for me to leave, and no one wants that, right?" He opened his mouth but didn't answer, too fearful to say the wrong thing. She chortled at his silent response, "You really _are_ a keeper." He pulled up to the building and stopped, "Thank you private. You absolutely deserve a promotion." He drove off as Betty and ten armed agents came out with her. They fanned on either side of Dr. Director evenly.

"Keep your safeties _on_ gentlemen, if Shego wants to talk, let's hear what she has to say," she turned to the woman wearing her classic green and black catsuit, "Hello Shego."

"Betty." She smiled.

"It's been a long time hasn't it?"

"Quite."

"Was it necessary to call me names? Really, I'd think you've grown out of that."

Shego hummed a chuckle, "It could have been much worse."

"What can I do for you Ms. Shego?"

"Funny you should ask; well maybe not. I've come to tell you I've given up crime."

"Oh is that so?" She held in her laugh and only smiled.

"That's right. I'm going back to teaching, actually." She took out her nail file and began shaping one of her nails.

Betty immediately became condescending, "Well that sounds just wonderful. Middleton High would appreciate a brilliant pedagogy such as yourself _after_ you serve your three life sentences in prison."

Shego observed her nails, "Ugh, that was bothering me. All better." She put the nail file away. "Hmm yeah, no, I won't be doing that."

"I think we have a problem then, Shego."

A chuckle, "Oh no no no, _we_ don't have a problem. Just you."

"Get to the point."

"Let me show you," Shego unbuttoned her collar, disengaging the hidden super suit that was sewn inside of it. She slowly unzipped the front down to her belly button. The sly smile appearing as she saw a couple undisciplined agents trying to take glances at her revealed skin. She reached in and behind her, pulling out a manilla folder. She zipped up and buttoned her collar, secretly re-engaging the suit. She carefully handed the folder to Betty, "No peeking boys, this is for the _Doctor_ alone."

Betty opened the folder to see photos of Belize, information on 'Satan's Teacher', and a few secrets on Betty herself. She quickly closed the folder firmly in her hand and was immediately furious, "How did you g-" a hard slap across her face, sounding more like a thud rather than a clack. She remained standing, her face turned downwards. Guns were raised and pointed to Shego immediately. "STAND DOWN!" she barked. The guns lowered with her men confused. She looked at Shego, fuming at the information she gathered, "Who else-" another vicious slap from the back of Shego's hand this time. She stumbled as her guards raised their guns once more, disengaging the safety. "STAND DOWN GODDAMN IT!" Her men looked at each other, further confused, but complied none the less. She spat blood on the ground. She grit her teeth as she waited for her enemy to speak.

"You're a bad girl asking stupid questions." She approached Betty closely, placing a hand to the side of the face with the eyepatch, speaking directly to her ear, "Come after me and I come after you, come after Kimmie and your sick world ENDS!" she growled. A flash appeared behind Betty's eye patch as she pushed Dr. Director's head away. A cybernetic eye Wade and Shego discovered in their investigation. Betty winced at the flash; Shego transferred something but Betty didn't know what. "You behave, and so will I. Deal?" Betty did nothing but remain still. She stared at Shego with a fury of insurmountable hatred. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." She turned to Eli who was waiting in the car behind her, having just pulled up after Betty received her beating. "Bye bye Betty Bits, enjoy the present I gave you! You'll be hearing from me very soon." She got in the car, "And one more thing, give this guy a promotion, he's awesome!" She turned to her driver, "Let's go Eli, the front gate is fine." He nodded and drove off immediately.

~oO0Oo~

Shego confirmed with Wade, it was safe enough to send a cloaked ship to pick up Kim from her island home. There would be enough time for Kim to talk to her friends and family before heading off to university. As she discussed with Kim, nothing was to be revealed other than one important detail. The rest, Shego assured her she'd take care of it. The only thing Kim would need to do was let her parents know about her secret relationship. The reveal would certainly be hard on Kim but it was crucial for Shego. Her encounter with Kim's parents, her family, would be inevitable and the sooner their relationship was known between them, the easier it would be to direct them without issue.

~oO0Oo~

Mego was eating his breakfast and nearly jumped out of his skin to the emergency phone that had triggered the ceiling lights to spin and flash. He hated that obnoxious claxon and often threatened Hego to remove it. He got up quickly and answered, "Mego here."

"Hi, Mego, this is Wade Load. You might not remember me, but I work with Kim Possible."

He was quite happy to hear from a familiar friend of Kim's, "Of course I remember you! What's the emergency? I assume you weren't making just a house call."

"It involves Kim… and Shego." Wade's voice dropped a little.

Mego was a little disappointed, "Oh boy, does my sister have your friends somewhere? I'll get everyone together."

"No, actually. Shego is helping Kim and she needs to talk with you. All of you. We need to act fast, though. Right now, just know that Kim and her family are targets and we need your help."

Mego half paid attention to half of what Wade said and had only focused on one major detail, "I'm sorry, did you say my sister was _helping_ Kim and her family? ...And she _wants_ to talk to us?" There was silence on the end and then the sound of a struggle, "Wade?"

"Stop pushing, Shego, let me handle it!"

Shego went around to Wade's desk and reached for his headset, "This is taking too long," she took it off his head and put it on her own. "Get everyone in the, ugh, _HERO_ room. You have TWO MINUTES! If any of you still call yourselves heroes, you'll do it. Now go." She hung up.

~oO0Oo~

"What the hell, Shego?"

"Time's a factor here, Wade!"

"We need them to BELIEVE everything you tell them! You don't want to waste time trying to _convince_ them!"

Shego tossed back his headset and began pacing in front of him, "I need this fast. Kim is safe for now, her family is the next target, then her friends. The cunt will move fast, she has resources. We have to beat her to it, _Wade_! Go make the video call." _Argh, I don't want to talk to them!_

~oO0Oo~

"Woah, slow down, Mego. What do you mean Shego called us for an emergency? I don't get it."

"Hego, neither do I, but apparently Kim Possible and her family are in trouble and Shego wants to help. She said to get everybody in the Hero room. She wants to talk face to face. Wego is already there so let's go already."

A brief pause, "Alright, alright. I'm coming."

~oO0Oo~

The Hero room began to ring with a low beacon noise. A single white table surrounded by chairs, colored the same as the glow of each member. Wego answered as Hego and Mego were walking in. The giant screen in front of them had the image of Shego's scowl and only hardened more when she saw Hego and Mego. But her face softened when her eyes locked on to Wego. She almost didn't recognize them.

"Wego?" her voice whispered, "You guys got so big."

Wego looked at her with the same amazement. It was like looking at a familiar stranger. "Hey sis," they said together.

Shego simply stared at them and wanted desperately to leap through the screen and hug them. To tell them how sorry she was for not being in their lives. Being called "sis" was painful.

Mego thought it best to ask about the emergency, "Um, what's happened to Kim?"

Shego snapped out of her daze and her stern gaze gradually returned, "It'll take too long to explain everything right now. All you need to know is that her family is in danger. I need you to take them in."

Hego entered the conversation, "Take… them in?"

"Yes!" she hissed at him, "They're a target and they need protection."

"Why not go to the police or Global Justice?" Hego asked.

Shego was getting angrier at the very sound of his voice and the mention of GJ was sending her over the edge. She took a large breath to control herself, "We are in a _very_ sensitive situation. Not a SINGLE word of this gets out of this room. Not a _single_ word. Kim dies. Her family dies. And it will be _your_ fault if any of this conversation gets leaked. Will you help or not?"

Wego immediately answered, "We'll help."

"Our lips are sealed."

"Right, Hego?"

Hego didn't trust a word but in case she was telling the truth, "We'll help."

"Mego?"

"I'm in. You'll tell us more about what's going on soon?" His face was remorseful.

"Yes, when I can." She felt surprisingly more at ease when Mego spoke even though she still resented hearing his voice.

Mego asked, "What do you need from us?"

She continued, "I need you to clean out three rooms for them to sleep in. I'll talk about next steps when I get there."

Hego was shocked, "Y-you're coming here?"

"Yes! Idiot! I need to make sure they're safe on the way there! Have you not been listening!? This is serious!"

"Sis, we get it," Wego quickly tried to calm her, "we'll do everything you need."

Shego released a sigh, "Good. I still need to talk with her family but expect them today or tomorrow."

Hego was shocked by the short notice, " _That_ soo-"

Shego's eyes were deadly.

Mego interrupted, "We'll make them feel like it's their home."

"I have to go, I don't have a lot of time." Shego's finger hovered to end the meeting but was interrupted.

"Wait, why do you care about Kim or her family all of a sudden?" Hego couldn't let this question go unanswered.

This time, Shego didn't scowl. She relaxed into a subtle smirk, "She's my girlfriend," and promptly ended the call.

~oO0Oo~

Shego paced in front of Wade's desk, "Has she talked to her parents about me?"

Wade's eyes traced Shego's steps. He was getting a little annoyed by the constant pacing and wished she'd do it somewhere else. "I haven't spoken with her since she arrived back. You wanted me to focus on setting up the neural networks, remember? When do you want me to make the call?"

Shego was hesitant. With arms crossed, she drummed her fingers anxiously. "Start the call in ten minutes. I'm heading over." Shego walked off to her ship with a tinge of worry.

~oO0Oo~

"Hello?" came the voice of Dr. Mrs. Possible.

Wade's voice came through, calm but also a little too formal, "Hello Dr. Possible."

"Wade?"

"That's right. I'm afraid this isn't a house call."

Her voice became suddenly panicked, "Where's Kim?"

"She's in her dorm, safe." She relaxed a little to this. "Has she talked to you about anything… _shocking_ when she came back from vacation?"

"Perhaps. What is this about, Mr. Load?" Her voiced lingered with some irritation.

He prodded, "Did she happen to talk about Shego with you?"

"Wade, cut to the chase."

"Please, it's very important. I'll elaborate."

Full frustration showing, "Yes, she said she's in a relationship with that sadistic criminal. I don't understand any of it, I don't approve, and I certainly don't understand why it's a subject that interests you. I know you're her friend but this is a personal matter."

Wade was relieved the issue was at least discussed already. He was more relieved he didn't need to reveal those details. "I understand. Please let me explain. Kim is now involved in a very sensitive situation. She's become a person of interest to some _very_ bad people. And unfortunately, the people after her are a lot more dangerous than any of us have encountered before."

"We've dealt with Shego before."

"Shego is protecting us, Dr. Possible."

A flitter of anger, "Us?"

Wade sighed, "I'm afraid you and your family are in danger as well. Shego is on her way to you right now to move you to Go Tower."

Escalating beyond just a flitter, " _Move_ us?"

"I'm sorry, but we need to get all of you to some place safe very quickly. And the sooner we do this the sooner we can assure your safety as well as Kim's."

Thoroughly pissed, "You expect us to drop everything and do as you say? We need a better explanation, Wade."

"Shego will arrive at your door soon. She'll explain."

"I think I need to contact Ron, I think you've been chipped."

A heavy sigh, "Do I really fall into one of those people that can't be trusted? I've been helping Kim for years. I'm just trying to keep Kim and your family safe. Please don't make this more complicated. We don't have a lot of time. She less than a minute away now. Please hear her out. After that, it's up to you, but I highly suggest you listen to her."

"It sounds like I don't have a choice, now do I?"

"We aren't forcing you," he attempted to assure her, "but please, I don't want you guys getting hurt. She's almost at your back door. Please gather your family and listen very carefully to everything she has to say. Do you want me to stay on the line?"

Ann turned her head to a tapping on the back door glass. "You _actually_ trust her?"

"With my life."

"I'll hear what she has to say." She hung up angrily.

~oO0Oo~

Shego stood nervously in front of the back door as a stern looking, middle-aged, redhead came towards her.

Ann folded her arms and spoke through the glassdoor, "What… is… going… _on_?"

"May I come in?" Shego saw that that was a silly thing to ask but it was necessary to be polite. She wore a black pencil skirt and a very light pink blouse in attempts to be as non-threatening as possible.

Ann ground her teeth tensely. She was calculating. A locked door never stopped Shego from entering any building before. If she wanted in, she'd be able to without much effort. She also wouldn't be standing patiently in front of her either. "Fine." She unlocked the door and stepped away. "James! Boys! Kitchen! NOW! We have company!" As much as she wanted her family to be far away from Shego, she assumed if she wanted to do something nefarious, she would have done it already.

They all stormed in with worry at the tone of Ann's voice but was more startled to see Shego closing the door behind her as she entered the Possible's home. They stared in awe.

"Hello, Possible family."

Ann spoke as she angrily stared at the woman in front of her, "Wade just called and told me we're in danger and need to move to Go city. It's apparently for our safety. We'll be staying in Go _Tower_. Does that sound about right, Shego?"

Shego nervously asked, "D-did Kim um, did she tell you guys about um-"

"Yes! She told us!" Ann threw her hands up.

"Oh. Good. At least that's one elephant in the room taken care of."

Ann snapped at her, "No! It isn't!" James tried to calm his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders. She shrugged him off, "Stop it. You know very well this is the same monster that hurt our daughter! What's wrong with you!?"

"I'm not that person any more."

Ann seethed, "Well, isn't that just FANTASTIC! She's turned a new leaf! I guess all is forgiven! Bitch!"

"Ann, stop it. I don't know what's going on but the boys are right here." He didn't want Shego provoked and looked to Shego cautiously, "What _is_ going on?"

"What your wife said is correct. We're in a situation that makes all of you leverage against Kim. I need to get all of you safe so I can keep Kimmi-," she corrected, "Kim safe. I know this is a very sudden change and I know it will be hard for you to trust me. But, this is very serious. I need you to pack everything essential that'll fit in your cars right now and head over to Go Tower. My brothers are expecting you. They will provide everything you need. If you've forgotten something here, I will grab it for you, but we need to get moving."

Ann slowly walked up to her, "You have a lot to answer for." Ann slapped Shego as hard as she could and stormed off to pack.

"ANN!" James, along with his sons, was wide-eyed with disbelief. Scared now that Shego might do something to them.

Shego's face was turned to the side. Had it been anyone but Kim's family, she would have dodged effortlessly. She was certain more pain had been delivered to Ann's hand than to her own face but she allowed this for Ann's sake. She sniffed and shook her head back to get the tousled hair out of her face, "It's fine Dr. Possible. Now, if you please, try to get everything you need packed in under an hour. I'd like to know all of you are safe sooner than later. I'll be flying above you on the way to make sure you arrive safely. Lastly, I'll explain in more detail about the situation when we arrive. Please get going. I'll wait here unless you would like some help."

~oO0Oo~

After their arrival at Go Tower, Shego eyed Mego, "Did you retract the bridge when they pulled in?"

"Yes."

"Are the rooms clean?"

"Yes."

"Are you stocked with enough food to feed this family?"

"Yes."

The Possibles stood behind Shego with suitcases on the floor. They were looking all around at the vast size of the garage. Jim and Tim were amazed by the number of super cars they owned. Ann was angry and held a scowl that could match Shego's. James wasn't happy with the situation either, but he figured if Shego actually wanted to harm anyone, she wouldn't have escorted them to Go Tower of all places. And to allow Ann to slap her and keep her cool, the situation called for him to take it all seriously.

"Show them to their rooms. When they're done unloading, have everyone meet me in the second floor conference room."

Hego spoke, "You mean the He-"

"Don't you fucking say it. I said it once, I don't need to hear it again. The same room I spoke to you before."

"But you won't get in without-"

"I'll get in just fine. The security here is shit. I'll be upgrading it. You're welcome." Shego walked past him. Her face turned from her angry scowl to something full of shame when she looked at Wego but didn't engage. Instead it was more her attempt to open her mouth to say 'hi', utter a single airy sound, and continue walking.

~oO0Oo~

"Wade, how are we doing?" Shego asked through her Kimmunicator as she sat alone in the Hero room.

"I can't believe no one's broken in here. This has so many security holes a child could break into it." Shego huffed a laugh. "At this rate, probably a few more hours as I push my updates. You'll have access to every room and they won't be able to revoke it this time. But Shego, I'm going to tell them."

"Go ahead. Just so long as I can ensure Kim and her family's safety, I couldn't care less for anything else."

"Comforting."

"Fine, Kim, her family, AND friends. Feel better?"

"Careful, I might start thinking you're warm in the inside too."

Shego snorted, "Alright, I don't think you need to be here, but it might give them some closure about what's going on with you around. Up to you."

"I'll put myself up on the big screen, but I'll mostly just be a fly on the wall. I really need to patch these holes. It's ridiculous. What idiot makes their password 'yourhero'?"

"That would be me," Hego said as he walked in with the rest of the group. He raised a brow at the already sitting Shego.

Wade cleared his throat, not realizing Hego was within earshot, "I'll um, put myself on the big screen." He dialed the Go Tower and as Hego was about to answer it, Wade simply forced himself in and appeared on screen, shocking Hego again.

Shego smirked, "Like I said, your security is shit." Hego frowned while Shego held onto her smirk. But as the Possibles entered, she quickly became more serious. "Let the Possible family sit in your chairs, they'll want to sit down for this." She allowed them to take their seats while the Go family, except for Shego, stood around the table. "First I just want to state the obvious. Kim Possible is an amazing woman. Please know that I've always respected her." Ann gave a disgusted eye roll but Shego continued, "That being said, I'll cut right to it. Before Kim went on her vacation, she left a pretty big impact on the supervillain community. It wasn't just a dent, it was the equivalent of a crater. Kim, at the time, was unaware of what kind of impact she was making and unfortunately pissed off some very powerful people. She was sent on a mission that was designed to fail. Dr. Possible," she looked at James, "Dr. Possible," she looked at Ann. "your daughter was not meant to come back alive." Shego paused a moment to let that sink in. Ann and James had swallowed in horror hearing this. "When I met Kim on our vacation," Ann looked away and loathed at words uttered, clearly disapproving of the event, but again, Shego continued, "she was battered and bruised with deep cuts on her arms and legs." Ann began paying more attending now, surprised her daughter never mentioned it. "She had spent the two weeks recuperating. I did what I could to help, both physically and emotionally. She was very insistent about not talking about the issue. A lot had happened in those two weeks but I can assure you I want nothing more than to help her get better. She is very sensitive to this past event, so I ask, for _her_ sake, not to bring this up until she's ready. I've recommended a therapist for her to talk to."

Ann couldn't believe it and scoffed, " _YOU_ recommended a therapist? _YOU_ see a therapist?"

Shego snapped back with piercing eyes, "YES!" She had no intent of showing hostility towards anyone in the Possible family, but Ann had pushed a button.

Wade jumped in, sensing the increased agitation, "I know this is hard to believe, but Shego is helping tremendously. We really need to focus on the 'now'. I'm sorry, but you need to give Shego a chance. Kim is alive and Shego wants to keep her that way."

James asked, "Is there a reason why she didn't talk to us about any of this? This is so unexpected. I would have thought we would have heard something. Anything. I just don't understand."

"Dr. Possible, this is my fault. I needed all of you to believe everything was alright. That everything was normal. I asked her not to mention a word of it to you. I told her I would take care of everything. I… we, have information about the people who are targeting Kim. Right now, it is the only thing that's preventing them from harming your daughter. That and a few reminders I use as a tactic to scare them away from even thinking about harming Kim or using any of you as leverage. If all of you continued believing everything was alright, then-"

"There'd be less chance of any of us would accidentally leak information," Ann finished.

"That's right. Now, as much as I'd like to answer all of your questions, I really need to inform you of what's going to happen from this day forward. Hego, Mego, pay attention. This involves you. I need both of you to give them literally everything they ask for. If Dr. Possible needs an office, a lab, ANYTHING, you give it to them. If they need to travel somewhere, you take them in the ship, _full_ stealth. I don't care how much energy it burns, I'll pay for it. No matter how big or small the task, do it. Am I clear?"

They both answered, "Yes." It was like old times with Shego directing orders again and they'd have no choice but to follow.

"What can we do?" Wego asked.

Guilt washed over Shego when she looked towards them, "Uh-uh, just keep them safe here."

"We can do that." It was awkward. Wego was certainly more capable and wanted to help but it was clear Shego was not ready. The reason unknown to them.

"G-good." She gave a nervous smile. "Possibles, I'm sorry, but your lives are going to be turned upside down." She looked at Ann, "I've made arrangements for you to transfer to Go General Hospital. You only need to sign off and make it official." Ann was pissed such arrangements were made without her input. She had patients to care for. What would happen to them? Shego turned to James, "We will set up a workstation for you here so you can work remotely. I understand you are leading a lot of projects. After Wade is done with the security improvements, we can have you set up to do video conferences and secure file transfers. If you absolutely must go in, one of my brothers will take you but understand, everyone is safer _here_. Oh, and one last thing. I've hired a private tutor for your sons. You'll find she's more than qualified to teach your sons on the level they deserve." Shego looked at the Possibles and felt a small smidge of pity for them. "I know my words mean nothing to you right now, but I hope, in time, you'll see me in a better light." She looked to Ann once more, "I _do_ plan to answer for all the things I've done." She paused to get up, "I'll say it again. Not a single word of what was discussed here gets out of this room. Do all of you understand?" She saw nods all around. "Good. I'll let myself out. Enjoy your day if you can."

Mego didn't want her to leave. He had so many questions, "W-wait."

Shego stopped, "Yes?"

"Will you come back, uh, I mean, will you make contact with us again?" He felt stupid for saying 'make contact' but knew enough not to say he expected her to be a hero again.

"Yes." She left.

~oO0Oo~

Shego climbed into Kim's ship, "I'm heading back to the lair. What's Kim doing?"

"She's in class, Shego. You _do_ have this awesome device that magically lets you talk to her from distant lands."

"I'm not ready. There's more to do and I don't want her focusing on me. She needs normal now. I'll mess everything up again. When we secure everything, that's when I'll make contact."

"Alright, but I'm sure she thinks about you. Maybe you're what's normal to her."

"Pff, yeah right. Did you contact the buffoon? We have got to get this over with."

Wade sighed heavily.

"Wade?" Her tone escalating with annoyance.

"Ron's a special case, okay? He hates you the most out of everybody." A beat, "Uh, sorry."

"Whatever. He just better not bitch slap me like Kim's mom did."

Wade was astounded, "She hit you?"

"Heh, yeah. I now know which one of them Kim gets her adventurism from. Not a word to Kim, alright?"

"Well doy. I'm just surprised she managed to actually tag you."

"I _let_ her, nerdlinger!"

"You're just full of surprises today."

"Stop procrastinating, set up the meeting."

"Fine, fine. Just be prepared for a lot of conspiracy theories."

"You told me Kim told him about us."

"And you think that stops a conspiracy theorist? It only makes them worse."

"Whatever. Just set it up."

~oO0Oo~

In the kitchen at one of Dr. Drakken's lairs, Shego looked at her Kimmunicator's screen displaying Kim's contact info. She didn't feel ready to talk to her. It was her usual fear that stopped her. Would Kim ask what was going on? Would she have to lie? Would Kim break down? Would she?

Wade passed by to grab a snack, " _Just_ do it."

"It's been a month. I don't want to distract her. I can't go to her yet. I'm _not-"_

"Yeah yeah yeah, not ready. I think I know Kim better than you. Make the call."

"But what if she wants to see me?"

"You _have_ a camera."

Shego glared at him, "In _person_! I can't go yet. If I do, I won't be able to let go of her."

"If she understands _now,_ she'll understand she needs to wait a little longer. Don't be an idiot." Shego flared her hands to which Wade gave an eye roll. "Just make the call, Shego."

~oO0Oo~

Shego was in her bed at the lair. Again, she stared at her Kimmunicator. _You'll distract her. You'll only make her feel worse. Do you really want to do that to her just because you miss her?_ She pushed her Kimmunicator aside. _But I told her it wouldn't take this long._ She picked it up and started calling. _That was stupid. Now you have to break her heart._

"Shego?"

Shego swallowed hard. Hearing her own name from Kim's voice warmed her. She could almost feel Kim's breath on her ear. She couldn't respond.

"Ar-are you okay? Are you safe? Shego, are you there?"

It came out as a whisper, "Ye-yeah. Hey, Pumpkin."

"Shego." Kim affirmed and felt warmed by Shego's voice as well. "I miss you so much."

"Kimmie, I miss you too." A moment, "I just- I just wanted to say 'hi'. I can't talk long. It's so good to hear your voice."

"Are-are we safe yet? Can I see you?"

"N-not yet. I'm sorry. I'm sorry it's taking so long. There's more to do. B-but I'm almost done. It's just going to be a while longer."

"Shego-"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called. I didn't mean to distract you. I just needed to hear- I-I have to go. I'm sorry."

"Sh-Shego, I love you."

Shego wanted to cry, "I love you, too. I love you."

* * *

I've had little time, as usual, to actually give this a good editing. But given the wait has been over a year I thought I'd just give a taste before I give it some more love. So here's some info and reminders:

1\. This is a sequel to Just A Little Vacation but more specifically, the REWRITE of the JALV (that hasn't been written yet). So what does this mean? This means that, while the previous story is getting a re-write, there isn't too much changing from the first story. The rewrite's main purpose is to fix the timeline and mend better with my other stories. It's to fix the appalling male gaze that the previous story was riddled with. It's to fix grammatical issues. And it's to fix the overall flow of Shego's relationship, again, mending better with all my other stories.

2\. Basic key things that happened in the last story (spoilers):

\- GJ is a corrupt organization, but there are still some good people.

\- Dr. Betty Director is a big enemy.

\- Kim was sold to a sick, sadistic criminal, but because she did not die as she was supposed to, she is now a target because she knows things about Dr. Director that should never have seen the light of day.

\- Shego and Wade are working together (more revealed with this story).

\- Kim's father gave Kim a hypersonic ship the size of a minivan for her highschool graduation so she wouldn't need to take rides from random people or need to cash in favors. Yeah I know, this was a little ridiculous thing I included but it's like the main object of transportation. Let's just roll with it. Shego is the main pilot.

\- We last left Kim on Shego's off-grid island while Shego went off to make preparations for a silent war between her and the entire organization of GJ. After a few weeks, Kim was brought back home and off to college while Shego was making other preparations - baby steps.

3\. Reviews Reviews Reviews! :) Tell me you hate it, tell me you love it, but feedback is always welcome. Thanks!

UPDATE: Added some polish to this chapter. Could I do better? Probably. Will I? Eh, I'd like to move on. Let me know if anything particularly egregious.


	2. Chapter 2

Brief note:  
There's some rather corny stuff in here. I... I made Shego do a little rap. It's dumb but brief. I promise there's a teeny backstory to it that you'll find out in a future chapter. I also apologize that this chapter is a bit on the bigger side. Alright, read on...

Thanks!

* * *

Kim stared at her Kimmunicator as she walked along the grassy campus. It was a daily habit since she last heard from Shego nearly a month ago. It was difficult, the silence and isolation from her. Was she okay? Would she find out if she wasn't? How long is too long?

A roaring of a loud motorcycle caught her attention and interrupted her thoughts. Roaming campus students nearby turned their heads as the driver revved their engine obnoxiously on that Sunday afternoon. Kim tsked and shook her head at the annoyance. She decided to walk back to her dorm now that her pleasant day was no longer pleasant. But her device rang, stopping her in her tracks. It was Shego. She immediately answered, "SHEGO!"

The engine revved loudly again.

"Quiet there Pumpkin. Wouldn't want anyone around you to hear my name just yet."

Kim's eyebrows furrowed at the bellowing motorcycle, "I'm sure no one heard over whoever that asshole is, revving their shit bike…," she paused a moment, "Sorry, you're missing context. There's an asshole revving their shit bike and I can hardly hear. There, context."

"Sounds like a real piece of work." Again, the sound of the engine, roaring, causing Kim to get painfully more irritated. She was in a very open field and couldn't get far enough away to hear Shego.

"I'm going to beat the living…" It roars, "UGGGHH! THAT'S IT!"

"Sounds like a _real…_ cock-juggling thunder-cunt."

Kim gasped, "Shego?"

The engine revved three times. "See you real soon Kimmie! Love you!" The motorcyclist drove off and the phone disconnected.

Kim's heart raced as she watched Shego drive off, "Wait… Shego?" She sighed despairing and slowly pulled the device away from her ear with a subtle frown.

~oO0Oo~

It's been ten weeks, six days, and seventeen hours since Kim last saw Shego. Eight weeks and four days since she left the island. And three days since she last heard her voice. But who was counting? Kim stared at her laptop in her tiny dorm, shared, fortunately, with someone she liked. She hadn't been able to concentrate since the call, _How soon, is 'real soon'?_ The question was a daily mantra. "Words! Go on the screen!" she commanded.

"Was that all you had to do? You're a genius!"

"Oh shut it, Gwen." Kim was dismissive of her roommate, all in jest though.

The room, as small as it was, did manage to cram two single beds against the side walls and two desks. One desk was sandwiched partially between the foot of Kim's bed and the wall closest to the doorway while the other partially between the head of Gwen's bed and the window. They worked with their backs facing each other. Kim nabbed the window spot but Gwen hadn't mind as the window side was often very cold and froze her fingers when she typed.

Gwen turned up a brow and draped an arm over the back of her chair as she turned, "What's with you lately? You're usually done before I even get out of my classes." She was more curious than concerned.

Kim waved her off without looking back, "Oh, don't worry about it."

Gwen craned her neck towards her, "Is it your mystery person?"

"Gweeennn…," reluctant to answer.

She whined, "Aw come on, not even a little bit of info?" Gwen pinched the air.

Kim sighed, "Yes."

"I knew it! Tell me more."

Dryly, "She's been away and I miss her, the end."

"You suck."

Kim scoffed and looked at her, "Not as hard as you when your boyfriend was over."

"You're _still_ mad about that? And he's not my boyfriend!"

"Well it was disgusting being literally three feet away from it after studying most of the night. I can still hear it, uck! Why are you so loud?"

"Well, he liked it."

Still disgusted, "I know!"

Gwen snickered, "It won't happen again, _okay?_ "

"Whatever. Just be mindful of my study ti-" Kim felt a chill. The age of the building had worn away its insulation. That is to say, it didn't have any. If someone opened the door from outside the building, you could feel the draft from the top floor dorm rooms, where she stayed. Kim gasped, smiling suddenly, it was rare for anyone to go in or out of the building at that hour. She was hopeful. She listened carefully for where the footsteps were going. She got up from her chair, standing still and confusing Gwen.

"What is it?"

"Shh, shut up." She frantically waved at her to shush returning to a smile. A few steps could be heard climbing the stairs. Her heart beating faster.

"Kim… what?" She whispered. Kim just waved at her dismissively again. Gwen threw her arms in the air, rolling her eyes, and went back to studying again. The footsteps grew closer.

Kim was getting excited. The sound of footsteps stopped in front of her door and before a knock could be struck, Kim flung the door open, jumped on the woman before her, and kissed her. Shego had to catch the doorframe to keep her balance. Kim's legs wrapped tightly around her waist. She drew apart to take a breath and kissed her again. When she parted once more, her mood quickly changed. She began hitting Shego with the sides of her fists, "Three days is not 'real soon' you ASSHOLE! I was waiting for you that night, what the fuck!?"

Shego fell backwards to the floor while Kim continued hitting her with little pounces, "Ow ow ow, Kimmie, ow OW, Kim stop!" Kim did and sniffed as a few tears rolled down her face.

Her voice hoarse, "I really missed you. I was… really worried."

Shego gently wrapped her arms around her and spoke softly, "I'm here, I'm okay." Kim hit her arm once more, "Ow."

"Well, I'm _not_ okay." She sniffed, "What's that?" She noticed Shego had a gift-wrapped box on the floor beside her, fallen from her hands when Kim was hitting her.

"That, Pumpkin, was going to be my apology present to you. But now, I'm not so sure. I'm not prepared for all this violence." Shego crossed her arms, still on the floor.

"I'm sorry." Kim sniffed again and helped Shego up. Kim knew she was joking, but she was still sorry for hitting her as hard as she did. Shego straightened her outfit, a dark blue blazer over a white blouse with a matching pencil skirt and heels.

"Well, you're lucky I've got a bad case of Stockholm syndrome."

Gwen was uncomfortably shocked by what just happened in front of her. She could care less about Kim's sexuallity. It was the notorious villain, and how Kim, the hero, 'attacked' her. "Um… UMMM!"

"Calm down Gwen, it's fine. Shego, this is Gwen. Gwen, She-"

"Shego, yeah I got that. What the hell, Kim? _This_ is your mystery person?" she outstretched both arms towards Shego, "Are you a villain now, too?"

Both Kim and Shego shared an exasperated sigh. Kim was about to start, but Shego spoke first, "Hello Gwen." She spoke calmly, politely.

"Um, hi." She looked at Shego and inspected her.

"I've given up crime, and even if I hadn't, I wouldn't be able to do anything with Kimmie here."

"Kimmie, ya, okay." She didn't believe a word.

"Kim isn't evil and I'm not here to fight," Shego tilted her head a little, "I've been 'pardoned', she finger-quoted, "by your lovely federal government under close watch - parole - by Global Justice and I've no reason to violate that." Shego took out a piece of paper, " _This_ makes it official."

Gwen took the paper, "How do I know it's real?"

"Their number is at the bottom or you can call the police and they'll verify. Your choice."

"Suppose I believe you, why not make the announcement public?"

"And have the publicity before we're ready? No thank you. Neither of us want that and I certainly didn't want Kim involved especially when she just started the school year. It'll be public eventually, when we're ready, on our terms - technically GJ's. I have no say. Fortunately, the announcement should be very soon. Final prep is almost done. You'll hear about it soon enough." She briefly looked at Kim before returning back to Gwen.

"Okay, okay, fine. I still don't trust you."

Shego snatched back her proof of parole, "Hmm, don't care," Shego smirked, "That took far longer than I desired. NOW, for you Princess, your present." She handed Kim the box while Gwen glared at her. When Kim was unwrapping the gift, Shego sat down on the edge of Kim's bed and gave Gwen the most significant of all her fingers and mouthed the words, 'fuck off'.

"Behave Shego, you're already on thin ice."

"Hmph, I keep forgetting how observant you are." She leaned into Kim's ear and whispered softly so only she could hear, "Kim I missed you, I _really_ need you tonight." Kim froze. "The things I'm going to do, Kim. So many naughty things." She exhaled softly in her ear just before she returned to her normal volume, "Which is why I'll behave, for now, but I don't know how much longer, Kimmie."

Kim's eyes widened, "I can open this later!"

"No no, you already unwrapped it." She smiled.

"You're right, you're right." Kim kissed her cheek and lifted the box lid and looked in.

"It's-it's not much, I'm not really good about giving-"

Without hesitation, "I love it."

Shego smiled with more confidence, "Good."

" _That's_ what you love? I didn't know it was that easy to please you, Kim," Gwen interjected, "I'll get some twigs and leaves for your birthday, haha."

Shego was ready to rip her head off, but Kim jumped in, "Gwen, you're my best friend here, but seriously, fuck you and fuck off. You've no idea how much this means to me. Don't shit on it because you don't know what it is or means." Shego gave Kim something of sentimental value. As she said, it wasn't much; it was the two small, split bamboo pieces from the island where one half was charred. It was tied together by the stem of a ranunculus flower from Shego's garden. It hadn't fully bloomed, displaying a green center surrounded by pink petals signifying their unity - at least, this was how Kim interpreted it. Kim tried to understand that Gwen knew nothing of their past but she was livid. That island was a sanctuary for her, the battle there was therapy, and it was her home.

"Whoa, sorry. I was just kidding!" Gwen had never seen Kim snap like that and it was very out of character from the usual docile friend and roommate. She saw Kim had kept a hand on Shego's shoulder. It was like she was trying to prevent a ferocious dog from attacking. They both looked at her with a hatred that she hadn't seen Kim have before. "I'm sorry." She wasn't aware she was so offensive to them and it showed. To her, it was just a teasing jab.

Kim felt the need to reinforce the issue, "Yeah, well, don't joke about us." Gwen nodded sadly and looked away.

Kim released her hand and took a breath. She relaxed a little and turned to Shego, "When can we do the other thing?"

"Right this way, Princess." Shego got up and waved her hand to the door with a little bow.

Kim delightfully hummed a chuckle, "Where we going?"

"Home…," she corrected, "er... not that one."

Kim looked to her excitedly, "Can I drive?" she wanted so badly to drive one of Shego's cars again.

"Sure, where'd you park?"

"Aw, don't be like that. Come on, pleeeeaaase?"

"Alright, it's all yours, let's go."

"Yes!" She turned to Gwen while packing her laptop away, "We'll talk tomorrow?"

Gwen was taken off-guard, she didn't think Kim wanted to speak to her ever again after that, or at least, not so soon, "O-okay." Gwen felt awkward, a little ashamed, and wanted to avoid Kim at the moment.

Kim's guilt rushed in as she was putting on her coat, "Gwen, I'll explain a little more tomorrow, maybe I overreacted. I'm sorry. I'll get you lunch."

Gwen forced a smile and nodded, "Have fun."

Shego, not fully happy with her entire encounter with Gwen, held some resentment in her voice, "Rest assured, Kimmie and I will." Shego earned a playful slap from Kim and they headed out.

~oO0Oo~

Shego led the way to the dormitory parking lot. Kim's eyes darted around all the cars looking for one of Shego's super cars. Shego stopped her in front of a tiny, silver, and boxy vehicle that could only fit two passengers. It looked as if someone took an economical hybrid and cut it in half and cursed it with disappointment.

Kim was confused but Shego's reserved smile told her this was it. "Shego, what the hell is that?" Shego's car gave a pathetic chirp as she unlocked the car doors with the FOB.

"Kimmie, it's my car." That reservation expanding to a full grin.

"No-no-no, this is a hunk of shit. Where's _your_ car."

She defended, "It's… safe for the environment."

"Yeah, no, come on. What happened?"

Shego chortled, "I didn't have time to go back to my place, grab my car, and pick you up. So, I rented this fine beauty at the local shit-shop and this was all they had. Sorry Kimmie."

"You couldn't fly here? You know, with cloak on? What about your bike?"

"Maintenance on the ship and only a one seater for the bike, Kim."

"You don't have another ship?" She looked at her accusingly.

"Too big and the only other option was Dr. D's open-cockpit hovercraft. Not exactly the best transport for this kind of weather."

Kim gave a few gashes of her teeth in her closed mouth and sighed through her nose, "Fine, hand them over, I said I'd drive, so let's do it."

Shego threw her the keys and got in. Kim sighed again, _damn it._ She started the engine, "It even _sounds_ like it's crying! Where… where are we going?"

"Just go here." Shego handed her an address.

"Shego that's my parents' house."

"I know, no cloak means no secret safe house. You're parents and your brothers… are with mine. I got them out of there, they're all safe."

Kim had no idea, she would call her parents every week, but they never mentioned a word of it. She assumed, correctly, that Shego asked them not to. Kim was about to cry and tried to hug Shego but the strangely high armrest prevented her from leaning over comfortably and ended up only patting Shego's shoulders with her hands. "Thank you," she sniffed, "Wade? Ron? Monique?"

"Safe, safe, and not even on GJ's Radar. The guys are at Dr. D's lair. You should _really_ thank me for getting _Ron_ safe. Did you know what he di-"

"Drakken!?" Reminiscent of the actions she took, Kim nearly turned ghost white.

"Calm down, he's helping. Look, I'll tell you later, but not _here…_ 'kay?"

Kim calmed and nodded, "Alright, alright, I trust you," she let out a sigh, "Shego, I have class tomorrow, it's like a four or five hour drive to my parents' place, how am I going to get back?"

"I'll drop you off, with cloak; we'll just swing by Go Tower and take off from there." She offered a consoling smile, "You don't need to worry about a thing."

One thing didn't make sense to her, "Why didn't you just tell me to go to my parents' place instead of handing me the address?"

"Had it in my pocket, thought it'd be funny." She shrugged.

"Okay sure, whatever." She put the car in gear and they were off as fast as that terrible hybrid allowed.

~oO0Oo~

The car complained with emphasis when she accelerated, it screamed going uphill, it shook in panic taking turns, and senior citizens passed giving her nasty glares. _I hate this car! Argh!_ Kim turned to Shego who was lying back in the seat asleep. Her rage over the car quickly became concern for her tired out girlfriend. _Oh Shego, what have you been doing?_ She worried and she hated not being part of her plans. _We could accomplish so much more if we just worked together._

~oO0Oo~

Shego started waking up, "Mm, sorry I dozed off, how far are we?" She blinked her grogginess away.

"We've been on the road for aaaboouut," Kim looked at the clock that was was positioned awkwardly deep in the center of the dashboard, "UGH! It's only been two and a half hours, I thought we were getting close."

Shego couldn't help but laugh, "Pull over, I'll take a turn."

"NO! You rest! Princess's orders."

"That obvious, huh? Don't worry about it, it's not what you think. And I'll reveal all of that very soon. It's a surprise."

"Shego, you look beautiful... but also dreadful. Take this time to sleep," Kim gripped the wheel tightly and wringing it in her hands, " if you _even can_ in this tortured soul of a car!" Kim paused as she realized she was venting, "Sorry."

Shego continued laughing at her frustration, "Don't ever be sorry. Ah, I've missed you so much and it's only been a couple month-"

"Ten weeks, six days," Kim quickly blurted, "I'm trying not to be clingy… if our situation were different… if it were normal, I wouldn't obsess, I mean I wouldn't-"

"Kimmie..., Kim, I really am sorry. I know I'm torturing you. It's just-"

"For my own good, I know. You don't need to explain or apologize. And I know my aching need for you is making you ache, which I know is distracting, and we'll go in this endless cycle of aching." Kim showed a subtle frown and looked farther down the road as if answers to abate her troubles were there.

"Have you been seeing Dr. Shrinkner, Kim?"

Kim sighed, "I missed the last appointment with her, but not on purpose. My class ran over, it was an important lecture. I'm talking with her again next Tuesday."

"Is she helping?" Shego was more than interested to know about her therapy sessions.

"A little, I guess, I don't know. Web sessions are weird. I don't feel like they're private enough, so I don't tell her much. I appreciate how accommodating she is though."

"Kim, you need to go in. Tell her everything."

"I know! She's just... really far away, not exactly convenient when you don't have hypersonic ships on campus."

"Then I'll take you. Every week."

"Shego, you can't. I can't be a distraction."

"I can, you're not, and the closer to you I am, the more I know you're safe." Kim was about to comment, but Shego started first, "AND, before you say anything, it would be good for me too, to join you."

"You mean, couples therapy, but not for the couple part?"

"Mm hm."

Kim smiled and then suddenly a thought occurred, "Oh my god I'm such an IDIOT!"

Shego sat up quickly, "What? What's wrong?" She was startled by the sudden outburst.

"We should have taken _my_ car! Damn it Shego! Why didn't you make me do that!?" Shego burst out laughing. "It's not funny!" She laughed harder.

"We could turn back." Kim gave her a stern glare causing Shego to erupt in more laughter.

"This is your fault, I hope you know that."

She was coming down from her fit of laughter, "How is... how is this _my_ fault?"

"If you hadn't played around with the idea that I was going to drive this shit car, I wouldn't have agreed to it! But no, you had to mess with me, make me think this was the only option."

Still laughing, "Are you kidding me? You knew you had a car, that was just bad judgement on your part."

"Why didn't you stop me!?" Kim glanced at her.

"I don't know, I just didn't think of it. I didn't know you actually had a car there."

"UGGHH I HATE THIS CAR! Seriously, what car red-lines at thirty miles per hour? Zero to sixty in… oh wait it doesn't go to SIXTY!"

"It does if you lean forward down a hill!" Another fit of laughter.

"Argh! Whatever!" she paused a moment, and gave a softer dismissal, "whatever."

Shego came down from her laughter quickly hearing Kim's saddened response, "I'm sorry, Kim, really. The place was busy and all the other cars were reserved."

"It's not that. It's nothing, please don't worry about it." Kim stared down the road again.

"Kim…, please?"

"I just don't know why… Why didn't you see me on that Sunday? What was the point of attracting all that attention?"

Shego looked a little shameful, "I was…," her voice dropped a little, "I-"

"No, it's fine. I have you now and I'm really happy. I am. Don't worry about it."

"Kimmie, I want to explain. I was casing the area. I was checking surveillance and setting up my own. And then…, I just saw you when I was about to leave. I was partially being obnoxious just to be obnoxious but I was also making sure my name wasn't getting heard. I didn't see you that night or those days in between because I was still setting up. I messed up. I should have told you. I could have."

"Thank you. I didn't mean to fish for an explanation. I'm really glad you're here."

Shego smirked, "Me too. And I plan to show you how much as soon as we're home."

The car screamed a little to Kim pressing on the accelerator.

~oO0Oo~

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

"SHEEEGOOO!"

~oO0Oo~

Shego gave a cackling snort, another, and then a hardy chuckle. She then squeaked, "I'm sorry."

Kim was confused, "For what?.." A moment passed before it reached her, "OH GOD SHEGO, THAT'S DISGUSTING!" Kim rolled down all the windows.

~oO0Oo~

 _Oh my god she snores so loud, it's deafening! How can that be possible?_

" _zzzZZZRRK!"_

Kim whispered, "Oh my god, are you serious?"

"ZZZR-" Shego started to snicker.

"Are you KIDDING ME!? YOU WEREN'T SLEEPING!?"

Shego burst out laughing, "I should be the one that's mad Kim, when have you ever heard me snore!?"

"You are such an ASS! I thought you had allergies! Or-or SOMETHING!"

~oO0Oo~

Shego started with simple mouth noises, initially intended to be annoying, "Bit-ti-bit-ti, bit-ti, bit-ti-bit-ti, bit-ti," but then proceeded to full on beat box. She continued and hit a few spots on the car rhythmically for additional percussion.

Kim couldn't help but join and drummed on the wheel, singing the only thing that came to mind,

"Mmm-fuck this car, FUCK this car."

Shego incidentally jumped in as backup, "Fuck iiit," and then returned to beat-box.

"Got it at a shit shop, suckin' on a lollipop, hands up my crop top, out to fuck a cyclops."

"Yeah! Yeah!"

"Cries going up-hill, whines goin' down-hill, now I'm gettin' angry, time to take a pill."

"Chill! Chill!"

"Rollin' down the highway, not even halfway, plans to burn it underway, Shego, Shego, take it away!"

Shego stopped her beats for a moment, swallowed, and licked her lips. She began slowly sucking air through her lips, and rhymed rapidly,

"Kimmie I'm layin' it down, I'm puttin' it in the ground,

I'll bury it, get you a chariot, so don't ya dare let it, cloud ya mind up in it,

Just fuck it all, that's my protocol, how I'm feelin' overall, but I gotta tell you one thing after all…" She took a quick gasp of air and spoke even faster,

"Lookin'AtYouYaMakinMeHIGH, Runnin'MyHandsUpAndDownYaTHIGHS, Suckin'YaOffTilMaTongueIsDRY, Makin'YouWritheThrowin'UhFIT

ButLikeYouSaidWeJustSoFAR, Drivin'MeCrazyLeavin'UhMentalSCAR, That'sWhyWhenWeGetHomeWeJust FUCK! THIS! CAR!"

Kim looked at her wide eyed with a tight smile, impressed by the improv despite a little off and a bit lewd for her taste. They both snorted and burst out laughing.

~oO0Oo~

"What the hell is that?" Kim asked as the car began to 'ding' annoyingly.

"You need gas," Shego responded as if it was obvious.

"What!? It was full when we left! I thought these things are supposed to have high gas mileage."

"It does, it's just a tiny tank."

"Well how many miles left?"

"I don't know, like ten maybe. Give or take a couple miles."

"Shego, the next exit isn't for another eight miles, I don't even know if it has a station nearby."

Shego shrugged, "I guess we'll find out."

"Why is there a ding sound and no light!?"

Shego grinned and annoyingly mimicked the sound, "Bing bing bing bing bing-"

"Shego stop it! Ughh, I hate this CAR!"

~oO0Oo~

Kim fortunately came across a rest stop on the highway, but a heavy sigh came from her when she parked beside a pump, "Where's the thing?" The incessant 'ding' still echoed in her mind after she shut off the car.

"The 'thing'?"

"The button to unlock the gas tank."

"There isn't one here."

"Oh, okay." Kim got out and went to the latch that was awkwardly positioned above and in the middle of the back bumper. She tried pushing the cover in different spots to get it open without success. She tried feeling for a button, but again, nothing. "I'm too tired for this!" She approached Shego from the passenger door, catching her snickering at her frustration, which of course didn't help Kim's situation. "If this is some elaborate joke, I am in NO MOOD."

"It's not, I swear. I'll fill it up, you wait." Shego proceeded to open the trunk and unlocked the latch from a switch positioned on the floor of the trunk.

"You said there wasn't a button!"

"I said, there wasn't one ' _here_ '."

"Seriously, Shego, arrgh."

Shego chuckled softly and began filling the tank, and after four gallons, it was done. Shego got back in the car with an innocent smile, "We're all set!"

Kim looked at the pump, "This car… only has… A FOUR GALLON TANK!?"

Shego had a tight lipped smile, trying desperately to stop herself from laughing, "Mmhm."

"How do you know where everything is?"

"Read the manual. I ran into the same bullshit once already, all I can do is laugh now, especially when it's happening to someone else."

"I'm being serious right now, can you buy this car?" Shego raised a brow, a bit perplexed by the question. Kim took a deep breath to calm herself, "I want… to _burnnnn…_ THIS car."

Shego couldn't hold back any longer and began laughing, "Yes! YES I CAN BUY THIS CAR HAHAHA!"

~oO0Oo~

"We're home. WE'RE HOME! NOW GET OUT OF THE CAAARRR! UUUGGGGHHHHH!" Kim groaned as hard as she could.

~oO0Oo~

"Wait wait, Kim stop!" Shego stopped her from approaching the front door.

"What? What? What's wrong?" _Is there an incoming missile? Is someone inside? Should I move? Stand still? Where's danger?_

"It's probably fine."

"Shego!" Kim glared at her. "Am I going inside or not?" Shego giggled. "What's so funny now!?"

"What would you have said if I was already inside?"

"Am I comi- -Shego you're so stupid!"

Shego snorted, but she saw how irritated Kim was getting, "Calm down, calm down, it's just a new security system. It's-"

"Is it going to kill us!?"

Shego sighed, "It's based off your old one Wade gave you, but I added some additional protection. It'll lock the whole place down and it's a goddamn pain to get it to open up."

"So, it has you written all over it." Kim smirked.

"Har Har Kim, I opened plenty to you."

"Yeah, with _a_ _lot_ of effort. Now can we go in?"

"I mean, it _should_ work with your old signature… try it. It hasn't locked down yet, so that's a good sign."

"Yet? Nevermind." Kim grabbed the handle, touching a fingerprint reader behind the knob. The sound of the lock clicked and Kim was about to turn the handle.

"Wait."

"Shego, what now?" Four big thuds were heard and felt beneath Kim's feet. "What's _that_?"

"You can go in now."

Kim sighed, "Do I have to sprint in? Is there anything else?"

"Just go in Pumpkin, it's fine."

Kim pushed the door, definitely much heavier than she remembered, and went in with Shego. "So, no one's home?"

Shego shut the door, "Just us." As she turned back to Kim, the frustrated driver jumped on her. Shego was startled and fell to the floor by the attack. Kim frantically tried to unbuttoned, unhook, unzip the many obstacles in her way. Shego started to hum a chuckle as Kim kissed and gently bit her neck, "Kimmie, I have more clothes here, so do what you need." Kim paused, looking into Shego's eyes for approval as she gripped her garment. Shego gave her a nod and a smile while Kim grinned just before tearing her blouse open. Shego yelped and laughed, "Oh Kimmie, I thought _I_ was going to be doing naughty things to y- AH! Hahaha!"

Kim pulled back a corner of her mouth and looked a little more sternly at Shego, "Well enjoy it while it lasts, I'm going to be scolding you for making me wait for so long."

"Kim, I'm-"

"Ah-ah! After!" Kim resumed her kisses, bites, and gropes with an easing smile. She breathed Shego's scent, filling her with an intense mixture of sadness and love. "I missed you so much, I love you."

"Oh Kimmie, I love y-"

Kim kissed her lips, silencing her response. She bit her breast gently and sucked her nipple hard. Shego writhed silently with a gaping mouth. Kim dragged her nails down Shego's sides, "I need you." Kim forcefully pulled Shego's skirt off. Shego jumped a little, somewhat surprised Kim was being so rough. Kim stopped and looked at her again but Shego nodded. Kim understood the approving nod and tongued the soft folds between her thighs. Shego gasped softly. Kim pulled away for a moment, "I need to know this is real." Kim bit the inside of her thigh.

"ARGH! Kimmie! It's Re-haaa!"

Kim quickly tongued the affected area. Shego was writhing and dug her nails into the floor, scratching the wood. Kim climbed on top of Shego's and worked a hand between her legs and tongued her ears and neck knowing she'd sooner reach her climax. She whispered in her ear, "I love you Shego, so much, I love you… I love you." After long minutes passed, Shego let out a strained scream followed by labored breaths as she slowly looked at Kim through half-lidded eyes. Kim sealed her gaping mouth with another kiss. As she parted she hugged Shego tightly as if to tell her she wouldn't let her go away again. Kim muffled her words in Shego's shoulder, "I really missed you."

"That was…" Kim slowly got up a little to look at her. "HO shit Kim. What the-" Shego just remained on the ground, recovering.

"Yeah." Kim gave a soft smile. "You aren't the only one with a magic touch." Shego gave a soft chuckle. "Sorry about your clothes."

Shego huffed, slowly shaking her head, "Don't be."

Kim gave her a little bit more time to come back to reality and resumed hugging her. When Shego's huffs became calmer, "Why don't you go change and we'll have a talk. I'll be in the family room, okay?"

"Um, a talk, Kim?" A quick sobering from the question.

"Just go change, a lot has run through my mind since we parted."

"Oh. Okay, are we, I mean, this wasn't like, break up sex, was it? Kim?" Shego was confused and a little hurt between 'the talk' and the 'reunion sex'.

Kim looked at her funny, glaring at her for even asking, "I said 'A' talk. NOT ' _the_ ' talk. I just rubbed you raw and told you I love you, come on!"

"I'm sorry, sorry, just with what you were saying before and then-"

Kim pointed at her, "Just go change. And never let it cross your mind that we'd separate. Okay?"

"Okay. Good." Shego stood up with an awkward smile and headed up the stairs with her torn clothes. _It's not that unusual for people to break up and still love each other, Kimmie. Sometimes it's for protection._ She grimaced at her own thoughts.

Kim noticed she was heading to her room. _My room huh? Better there than my parents' room I guess._

Shego discarded her torn clothing. _Why am I so nervous, WHY AM I SO NERVOUS?_ Shego threw on some sweatpants and opted for one of Kim's sweatshirt hoodie. _What am I going to tell her?_ Shego couldn't recall the last time she's been this nervous about a conversation. She felt that Kim was fairly angry with her for the length of silence. Having told her 'it was temporary', 'not that long', 'you won't even know I'm gone'. _I'm sorry, Kimmie, I've been aching too!_ There was also more of the sick terror she and Wade dug up. She feared she would be pressed to tell her. Shego took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

Kim noticed Shego's slow pace from the family room couch. When Shego met her eyes with hers, Kim patted the couch seat. Shego looked dreadful, like a teenager reluctant to have an embarrassing talk with her parents about sex. Shego made it to the couch and exhaled.

Kim could see her anxiety rising, "Will you stop looking like you're constipated?"

Shego's guilt overwhelmed her, "I'm sorry it took so long, I had to. I really didn't have a choice. I know I said it wouldn't be long, there was a lot of set up. I had to be careful, I-I-"

"Shego, Shego! I know. I'm not mad."

"But you said you were going to-"

"I know. I was. But I know I shouldn't. I was really scared without you." Shego's eyes frowned at this. "I know you couldn't be with me. I was going to punish you for making me wait without knowing what was going on. But I realize I'm being selfish. I realized, on the drive here, it wasn't just me you were keeping safe. And I'm sure it's hard enough already with everything you're doing, whatever it is. I don't want to add any more stress to you, or complicate things. But, I _do_ want to talk." Kim took Shego's hand and brought her to sit on the couch next to her.

"O… kay." Shego adjusted herself a little to face Kim better.

"Okay, first I want to ask, how's it going? How are you doing? Truthfully."

"Oh. I'm okay. Really. We're making progress, it's slow, but it's happening and it's driving that cunt-fuck mad." Shego was trying to be vague, but it was obvious Kim was looking for greater detail and there was no sense in making her demand them. Shego let out a heavy sigh, "I'll tell you, just know this is hard for me." She paused, "Dr. D. and Wade are working together. I've never seen him work this focused before."

"How is he willing to help? After what I did? Did you threaten him…? Sorry."

A soft huff, "I didn't. In fact, I begged." Kim went wide-eyed. "Not beg-beg, he was pretty upset with you. I reasoned he was an asshole, but of course he was inclined to believe that you just weren't able to see his genius and was jealous. So…"

"Sooo?"

"I kind of said he was right… and said that I'd make you apologize…, said you were jealous, and um," Shego cleared her throat nervously and brought her voice nearly too a whisper, "you'd apologize in a cheer."

"What? Shego!"

"I didn't have a choice! He wouldn't listen to a word until I promised. It wasn't until I showed him all the info about GJ and what you did. The guy may be reckless, but there is a brain and a heart under there, even if he has a few… issues." Shego looked directly in Kim's eyes, "He got real quiet Kim. I asked him to work with Wade and give him everything he needed. He just accepted without a word. Wade's been telling me he's doing well but won't talk much. It worries me. I don't know if I need to help him or let him be."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll do his stupid cheer. My classes don't start until four, so we can go in the morning."

"Well, hold on there Princess, we have to go to Go Tower first. I'm not going to a secret lair in a slow, very noticeable, hunk of shit. Besides, see your parents first. Obviously we already met, but maybe get some formalities out of the way."

"How did you get them to go to-"

"By doing something I _really_ didn't want to do; I talked to my brothers. Also Wade helped. And before you say anything, because I know you're just going to apologize," Kim pursed her lips, tightening more on a corner of her mouth, at this, "I had to anyway. As much as I hate to admit it, I need their help. I had Wade help me talk to them, too. I know they wouldn't listen if it came only from me. But, it still wasn't without difficulty. Whatever, it's fine now." Shego was still angry at them. Her displeasure was directed more towards Hego and Mego. The twins turned out alright and acted more as peacekeepers of the family despite still being so young. Shego wanted to direct the conversation far away from her brothers though, "I have to ask, what _exactly_ did you tell the buffoon?"

Judging from her tone, Kim knew he did something 'Ron-like', "Ugh, what did Ron do?"

"No no, first you."

"Well, I told him, you know, my preference and I had girlfriend. He was kind of offended by it, or... not really offended, more saddened than offended. Like my earlier interest in him was because I thought he was feminine."

"Was it?"

"No! Shego, it was a weird time and it didn't even last that long. I mean he's my best friend, and I thought 'why not, it makes sense' right? So we went out and dated. And I do love him, just, not… Shego, you know what I mean. It can't compare to what we have. And it doesn't have anything to do with him being 'manly' or 'feminine'."

"So what exactly did you say... about us." Shego was very curious.

"I told him I was in love with you."

"No no, _exact_ words."

"I don't know, I don't remember _exactly._ When I was telling him who, it was something along the lines of," she spoke as if speaking to him now, "'Ron, please don't freak out with what I'm about to tell you. And if you stay calm, I'll pay for you're Bueno Nacho meals for a month.' It was only at that point he understood I was serious. And it was at that point he said," Kim lowered her voice to imitate his, "'KP, you have my utmost, undivided attention and I promise, no Kim, I SWEAR I will _not_ freak out. I mean how bad could it be? It's not like you're in love with _Shego._ '" Kim returned to her normal voice, "I just stayed silent and stared at him. You know, leaning forward, hinting. I thought it was obvious enough. That poor boy still needed me to spell it out for him. I said, 'It's Shego, Ron.' He said, 'What's Shego?' I smacked my forehead and said ' _Shego_ is my girlfriend. I love her.' He snorted, not believing me, so I showed him."

Shego was delighted to hear the story, smirking, "What did you show him?"

"Mmm, the picture of us… a safe one. The one where I nibbled on your ear in the cave, headshot only, don't worry."

Shego laughed, "What happened next? You're killing me."

"He was quiet. Very still. Oddly statuesque. I think he was fighting the urge to freak out with the motivation of a free month of naccos."

"Gross."

"Yeah well, anyway, what did he do? You wouldn't have asked otherwise."

"We met at Wade's place so he wouldn't make too big of a scene meeting me as a _real_ ally for the first time. Didn't work. The idiot had a box of that synthetic insult to Latin America and threw it at me the second he saw me. I had that melted cheese-cum in my hair and all over my clothes."

Kim gave a very elongated gasp, "Even _I_ would have sent him to the hospital. What did you do?"

"Believe me Kim, I was livid. And I am _not_ sorry for what I did next. I picked him up by his throat and pinned him to the wall. I got right up to his face and said, 'You better _believe_ you're lucky Kim is _my_ girlfriend or you'd be a very large red stain on the very same clothes you just ruined! And, if you think for _one_ second that you're safe, just you _WAIT_ until I tell Kim!' So now I leave it up to you."

"Oh he is so dead."

"Thank you Kimmie." Shego giggled.

"He's okay, though, right?"

Shego gave a soft sigh, "Yes, the buffoon is fine. I stormed off to clean up and came back when I cooled down enough not to kill him."

"How long did it take to clean out?"

"Not too long, I just burnt it off in a cold shower. Still smelled horrendous."

"He is _so_ paying me back for all those naccos. Argh!" Kim shook her head in disbelief, despite actually believing every word. "So what about Monique?"

"GJ has no interest in her, at least not yet. They'll use any leverage they can against you, anyone or anything you care about. But she's safe and we're keeping an eye on her, well, Wade is."

"Does she know?"

"Us?"

Kim circled the air with her arms, "Everything."

"Not really, she's been kept in the dark."

Kim went wide eyed with worry, "She's going to be so pissed at me for not calling!"

"Wade _did_ let her know you've needed to handle a situation and it could be a while before you get back to her. He's let her know not to call you until you call her… which can still wait."

"So everyone, save for Monique, got to see you before I did, huh? Even my parents."

"Kimmie, I wasn't avoiding you. I was-"

"Protecting me, I know. Are we being watched now?"

Shego became very serious, "Yes. They can't see or hear us here, not with the upgrades I put in, but they know we're here."

"Couldn't they just bomb us? Use a terrorist attack or some accident as a scapegoat?"

"Not with the information I have and she knows I have allies, just not who. It'll only get really dangerous towards the end. That's going to be the hardest."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to slowly take out GJ from the inside starting with investors and any other facilities she has. At that point she'll start realizing her losses weren't coincidental and begin to realize I'm doing more than just protecting you. She'll send her closest agents to retaliate. I'll bait them and… remove them. You and I both know what you can do when backed into a corner. My worry lies in the fact she'll have more than just a knife at her disposal." Kim remained silent. "Kim, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, you should. Don't hide this from me. I need to know. I _want_ to be involved."

"We talked about this Kim."

"No, you decided for me. You-," Kim sighed, "Just hear me out." Kim felt a heated argument was coming if she didn't calm down. "I was in a bad state, I still am, and I get that, I'm… aware of it. I… appreciate you looking out for me, keeping the horrors at bay."

"But?"

"I'm a fighter Shego, you know that. I'm not saying right now, but I _need_ to be a part of this. It's not just about protecting you or knowing you're safe, it's not just about my revenge or getting justice. I'm _already_ a part of this, I started it-"

"I'll let you end it, I'm giving her to you!" Shego snapped at her, she didn't want to be challenged on the topic.

"No Shego, I know you hate it, but you need to understand." Shego already understood, she didn't want to hear it, she didn't want it acknowledged or validated.

Shego began to tremble, thoughts of the sick horrors potentially happening to Kim came to mind, "I… can't," she sniffed, tears filling her eyes, "if anything happens to y-," she swallowed hard. "Just don't do this to me. Please."

"Hey," Kim quickly held her, "Shego, do you really think I don't feel the same way?" She rubbed her back trying to console her. She knew nothing could truly abate her worries, having the same apprehension was a constant reminder of that.

"You're… stronger!" her tears finally escaping. She wrapped her arms tightly around her. "Please don't make me." She let out a pained sob. She begged, "Please, I can do it, I have a plan."

Kim tried to stay calm, feeling her pains triggering hers. She remained composed and used a soothing voice, "Shego, I trust you, don't you trust me?"

"I DO! But, the thought of-" a gasp at the sick horrors in her mind, "it hurts _so much_ Kim _._ It hurts."

"I know Shego, I know. But, when that time comes, when it doesn't matter, when she's getting into that corner, when she has no other choice but to do her worst, I'm going to be there whether or not I'm part of your plan. I'm safer _with_ you. And you're going to tell me when it's getting close, because you love me, because you want me safe. Shego, I have to. We can do this together. No one can stop us." Kim sniffed a tear away and kissed her shoulder.

Shego hadn't spoken right away, trying to recover from her sobs. She allowed time to push her thoughts down far enough to speak again. She parted slightly from her embrace to look at Kim grimly, "You aren't to do it now. It's not time. You need to stick with school and you need to train. We have time for that, I can get you ready." Shego wiped the tears from her face, ending her sobs.

"It's a good thing I have such an extreme sparring partner." Kim gave her a slight smile, gauging if she was okay.

Shego huffed and wiped the last tear away, "Actually, I wouldn't mind you pounding Hego's dumb, smug face into the ground." Another huff as she thought about her brother's face under Kim's foot.

"Uh, isn't he extremely strong?"

"He let his powers go to his head and he never trains."

"So he's weak now?"

"Oh, no, he can flip a car with his pinky if he wanted, but he doesn't last long and he leaves himself open to pretty much every attack to flaunt his strength." She was venting now, "He's pretty much the most useless person in my family… and yet, he calls himself the leader."

"And that would help me train because...?"

"Oh, no, I just want to watch you kick his ass, it'll be me to train you, of course. When he first met you, he was all about telling me why I should be more like you. How you were so much smarter for-" Shego glared, "Wipe that dumb smirk off your face."

"I'm not smirking… that much." Kim revealed her teeth with a mock innocent smile.

"Mmhmm. Yeah, don't forget, I _will_ be training you, and I won't be lenient on you either." Shego became more serious, "It'll be more than just fighting skills Kim, I need you to learn the schematics and security of every facility that cunt has. I need you to know her staff of more than two thousand employees. And that's _just_ her unit here. She has power both in corporate and military and connections to high government officials. This is not-"

"I understand Shego, I don't expect it to be easy, far from it. I just know I can help. I know what I'm getting into. I was at the center of it."

A deep breath, "I need your schedule, classes, agendas, anything and everything you do everyday. I have some it already but I need to be sure and I'm getting you another car."

"Yours?" Kim had a tinge of excitement.

Shego tilted her head towards Kim and smirked, "It'll be yours."

"Ooo, what's it gonna be!?"

"Well, you wanted me to buy that hybrid out there so…"

"TO _DESTROY,_ SHEGO!" Kim curled her fingers in frustrated anger.

A small chortle, "I'm kidding, Princess. We'll go shopping. BUT, I need to make some… improvements before you can drive it." She smiled at her while Kim excitedly smiles back.

"I don't know why you're so good to me."

"Think of it more of an apology gift after I train the hell out of you."

"AwWw!" Kim pouted.

"Ugh! So cute! Deadly! I missed you so much." Shego lunged and hugged her tightly. Kim jumped a little at the unexpected hug and relaxed into returning it. Kim was realizing it was hard for her to be away, unable to talk to her as well.

"Alright spill it, what's this about you making public announcement about your quote unquote parole?"

"Politics. As we discussed before, I need everyone to know I'm going to be a law abiding citizen."

"Ha!"

"Hey, to make this work, I'm really going to. At least in the eyes of every public idiot."

"Is giving up crime really that bad? I'm just curious, I'm not pressuring, I swear. We really never talked about it before… a-and I'm not trying to convince you to-"

"I know Kimmie, you just want to know." Kim nodded. "I have bad excuses Kim. That's really all it is. I have a moral compass, and you're one of the few that already know this. But I'm selfish. I can make the needle point in another direction on a whim. Too many variables to give you a good answer, I'm sorry. It's not about wanting to break the law. The law is a line that I can just cross freely and at this point, I've crossed it so many times I don't even know where it is anymore for some of the things I do. So like I said, bad excuses." She smiled lightly at Kim, "And I might need some hand holding to let me know where that line is again."

Kim gave a little smile and held her hand as a silly joke, "Okay. Um, so the 'parole' part?"

"I'm meeting Cuntsquach in front of your school."

Kim panicked, her heart pounded in her ears, "Why?" Her voice was shaky, she felt vulnerable and angry.

Shego responded quickly, not meaning to trigger worry, "Kim, Kimmie, it's okay, you'll be here. There's a reason. I wanted it to be a surprise, but now is good as any."

"Shego, just tell me!" Kim knew there had to be a reason, Shego would never do something so reckless, not without a plan.

"I'm teaching there."

"What's the plan? When?" Kim's heart was still beating hard, but it managed to lower itself.

Shego expected a bit of enthusiasm but continued seeing the erratic state she was in. There was no way she was ready for her plans. "The plan is, Monday morning, I announce I'm going grade papers with the added benefit of being near you. I know you don't have classes Monday, but if you have other agendas, cancel them. The bitch is just there to fulfill her part of the deal."

"That's it?"

"This will be slow moving Kim, I still don't have all the information I need, who else might be involved, their ties. She isn't the only problem. She's not the only head on this ugly beast, but she is a pretty large one." Kim felt defeated, hopeless, a big effort to no end. Direct revenge wouldn't be enough. The politics ran deep and the two-faced agenda GJ had made things even more complicated. The organization was eliminating some terror groups while helping others thrive, all for the sake of having more money and power. Global Justice was like a global mafia. There were heroes among GJ with the same hopes and courage Kim had about the organization. Shego was right, it was going to be slow moving. "Kimmie…, there's no other way right now." Shego had some concern with Kim's long pause. "It just needs time, but my plan will work."

Kim was quiet, but stayed composed, "Okay." Shego got a little relief from the short response but Kim continued, "It's late, you go to bed," Kim tried to distract herself from her current situation filled with malice and chaos behind the scenes, "I have a paper to write for tomorrow's class. I shouldn't be too long." She wasn't lying, it was just a defense mechanism to keep thoughts of her trauma at bay. Sometimes, it just invades.

"Kimmie, I don't need to go to bed. Talk to me."

"I'm fine. I need to get this done and we'll talk more tomorrow."

"You better tell me when things aren't alright."

Kim was frustrated she couldn't escape the subject, "Nothing's alright Shego! And I can't do anything about it. So, I'm doing the things I can do, which is my paper. Okay?"

"We can do something, we are; I'm sorry it doesn't feel like it. It's better if I show you at Dr. D's."

"Fine, but I do need to finish an assignment." She stood up casually, ending the conversation between them and hoped she was done with the topic.

Shego followed suit, "Alright Cupcake. I'm going to make you an after-midnight snack, then."

"N-not Ramen, please."

"What did I tell you about eating that instant trash?"

"I've been cooking your recipe! Just, that's all I cook. I eat other stuff too, mostly take out."

Shego facepalmed, "You need _real_ food Kim."

"Well, I don't have a kitchen in a dorm. I have a portable stove that I hide under my bed. I'm not even supposed to have one."

"Okay fine, but we're fixing this." Shego went off into the direction of the kitchen. Kim followed her up until reaching the stairs and paused a moment. She watched Shego open the fridge and rummage through drawers and cabinets.

She saw that Shego knew where everything was, "How long have you been living here?"

Shego froze and cleared her throat, "Abou-about a month."

Kim abandoned the stairway and walked closer to her, "And why exactly are you living here and not an already secure lair?"

"I wanted a place-"

"Uh huh?"

"Just for us. Besides, your parents and brothers weren't going to-"

"Mmhmm, were you _really_ protecting them or did you just kick them out?"

"I DIDN'T! I mean, they're safer this way."

"Why are you so nervous?"

"I just wanted you to have a familiar place, and… being able to sleep in your bed was an added bonus." Shego then mumbled, "And going through your things was fun too." She gave an innocent smile.

"Come on, you're hiding something. You wouldn't set up a fortress in my house just to go through my things, you could do that any time."

"I wasn't lying about your family or about this being a familiar place. Okay, so I didn't _have_ to live here, but I needed to. It was the closest thing to you without touching you and I'm nervous because I didn't want to tell you that. You know, having had the luxury of being able to see you and you didn't."

"You saw me?" Kim's brows furrowed.

Shego groaned, "Yes. I'M SORRY! I've... been watching you." A shameful look covered Shego's face, "Are you mad?" Shego tried to pout as cutely as Kim, but because she felt remorse, she made herself look awkwardly ill looking.

A tinge of anger washed over Kim, but she remained calm. "Three months… basically. Almost three full months." Shego mouthed the words, 'well, two and a half, really', and made sure it was inaudible. "I cried all the time."

"I'm sorry!"

"I know! I know. I am too, for getting mad. I know it's hard for you. This whole situation, I wish it was the way before, me being a hero, ignorant, getting giddy over the next big fashion fad, happy, and with _normal_ life goals." A frustrated sigh, "Just more issues to bring up on Tuesday."

They stood in silence for a moment, there wasn't anything to say. Reiterating that it was 'temporary' was a dead horse beaten and Kim already knew the talk like a broken record. "I love you." It was the best response Shego could give. Three words that meant more than just love. It had its own meaning, 'thanks for understanding', 'it'll get better', 'welcome home'.

Kim smiled, "I love you too." _Damn paper._ The thought needled. "Okay, off to finish a paper." She went to her bedroom while Shego stayed in the kitchen. She looked around the room seeing everything was mostly the way she remembered it. Only a handful of differences; Shego's clothes hung in the closet, the windows had a slight metallic tint, and the stairway in front of her bed had a railing installed. Kim supposed Shego might have accidentally fell and snickered at the thought. She buckled down and focused, logged in to her school's resources and began typing away.

The aroma of whatever Shego was cooking eventually reached her room. It pleased Kim's senses enough to make her mouth water and an unconscious smile revealed itself on the glarey monitor in front of her. A little laugh at herself after eyes focused on her own reflection.

Meanwhile, Shego was cooking sautéed lotus root with garlic, onions, and ginger. It was quick and easy. She added a bit of Tien Tsin Chile pepper, but only a hint as not to overpower the dish. When she finished the quick dish, she poured some cucumber-lemon infused water and set them on the table. She let it cool a bit before going to the stairway. She shouted up to Kim, "Come down for a quick snack, you'll love it."

Kim was in the middle of a thought and wanted to finish it, she shouted back, "Um, can you bring it up?"

"I'm your girlfriend Pumpkin, not your mom. Come eat."

Kim huffed a sigh, still typing, "Can youuu bring up just this one time? Please?"

"If I come up, Pumpkin, you're gonna be eating a green taco instead." Shego gave her a moment.

Kim didn't get it right away, the aroma she smelled was definitely not a taco, and then it hit her, "Oh my gaawwd, Shego, you're so stupid!" A cackled laugh was heard. "Fine! Just give me a minute, I'll be right... down." Kim estimated she had about an hour's worth of work left to be done and scrambled to get bullet point thoughts before heading downstairs. She got up from her chair and headed to the door. _So tired._ "Argh! Damn it!" _Right in my rib._ Kim hit her side on the corner of the new railing, not used to its presence when she rushed to the door.

"You okay?"

"Just great! I'm getting rid of that stupid railing!"

"No you're not, that staircase is a death trap!"

"Just be careful!"

"Yeah Kim, _you_ just be careful!"

Kim went down the stairs and approached the kitchen table, "Argh, Shego sometimes you just…," Kim looked at the well prepared dish, "Just…," Shego just grunted a 'mmhmm'. "Thanks." Her voice was a little apologetic.

"Yeah well, just eat." Kim looked at her more apologetically, and when she saw Shego dismiss it, she pouted. Shego huffed, "Seriously Kim, that look is overpowered." Kim pouted harder. "Ah! How does your face even do that!?"

"It's not even my final form." They both laughed at her joke. "No, but really, it's not, I use it only when I'm in big trouble with my parents. As they say, great power comes yadda yadda."

"What did you do? Fail a test?" Shego was being condescending.

"As if! No, I ran away." Shego raised a brow in interest, but Kim sighed, "Well, I didn't _really_ run away. It was more, I didn't tell them where I was going. I was like eight at the time. Scared them pretty well for the length of time I was out. They wanted to lock me in my room for the rest of my life, they didn't know what to do. When I came back, they were so angry, I was clueless, which made them more angry. So yeah, they punished me by grounding me to my room, chores, frequent updates of my whereabouts, no time with friends, no TV, the usual. It took about two weeks before I broke down with a bigger apology and pouted with all I had. And thus the ultra-mega-pout was born. And if you think my pout is adorable now, just think what it looked like when I was eight." A little smile appeared on Shego's face with a sliver of guilt. "You went through my family's albums didn't you?"

"I snoop Kim, it's what I do."

Kim just shook her head at her. "Well you better have something to show me, too." Shego froze. "Hey, it's only fair."

"No, it's not that. The comet destroyed almost everything. I have a couple."

Kim felt awful, "I'm sorry."

"It happened, can't change it. Food. Eat. Before it gets cold." Shego was reluctant to acknowledge her past.

"Yes, yes, eating." Kim shoved a bite in her mouth, the stringy strands tickled her lip as she pulled away. Her eyes lit up at the flavor, "I ate this at different restaurants and," she slurped, "and none of them tasted like this. So good." She looked at Shego, seeing her deep in thought about something. She figured it related to her past or the big plan she had. Kim decided not to ask. "A-are you able to sleep with me tonight."

Without any hesitation, "Of course! Why-"

"I just thought, maybe, you'd have to… work."

"We can sleep together." She was very assertive on the matter. "You finish up your thing, and I'll wrap up down here."

Kim nodded eating another delicious lotus slice. "I want to talk to you more, about anything. I know we can't tonight, but when?"

"We can tonight. Who says sleep is important to function?"

"Educated people?" She smirked

She hummed a chuckle, "We can talk until we pass out."

"'Kay." Kim finished her lotus snack and drank her water. A slight distaste for the water, not expecting it was cucumber and lemon. But, as soon as she recognized the flavors, she started enjoying the fusion.

Kim gave Shego a kiss on the cheek and started heading upstairs until her emerald stopped her, "Ah-ah! Not your mother Kimmie, clean your dish."

"Oh…, right. Sorry."

Shego snorted, "I'm fucking with you, Kim. It's one dish, go do your paper." Kim rolled her eyes and headed upstairs while flipping Shego the finger. Shego spoke to herself, "I do believe I've corrupted that girl."

"You sure have!" Kim yelled from the top of the stairs.

"How the hell did you hear that!?"

"Super powers! I can hear ass-hattery a mile away!"

"Yup, corrupted," Shego snickered to herself and started cleaning up. She opted to just throw everything in the dishwasher to save time. She headed for the stairs, but stopped herself. She headed for the den instead. She turned the area into her personal war room when she was away from the lair. When she opened the door, she flicked on the light and observed the various maps, photos, and documents hung on the walls and frowned. She shut off the light, shut the door, and locked it. She headed up to Kim's room. "Hey, Pumpkin."

Kim continued typing, "What's in the den?"

"You and your damn ears."

"Well, growing up with two brothers who don't respect privacy, you tend to pay attention to certain sounds so you aren't caught masturbating. Now, out with it."

"Work." She paused, "I… locked it."

Kim continued typing without a word and then stopped, "That's fine." She turned to Shego who was still tense, "Relax, I'm almost done. I thought it was going to take an hour, but the assignment doesn't require as much as I thought."

"Okay… great, I'll just get ready for bed then." Shego was sure Kim was going to argue to unlock the den. She proceeded to follow her usual routine, brush teeth, brush hair, relieving herself. And, as comfortable as Kim's hoodie was, she didn't want to sleep in it. She slipped off the hoodie in favor of a soft oversized t-shirt instead. She grabbed a magazine from the nightstand and climbed into bed waiting for Kim to finish.

Kim's fingers danced on the keyboard until finally stopping, "And, send. Done." Shego only smiled. Kim dashed to the bathroom to do a similar routine. When she came to the bed, she discarded all her clothes. She jumped in and wrapped her arms around Shego's hips and tightly hugged her, "Ahhh, I missed you." She kissed Shego's breast through her shirt.

"Are you talking to me or my tit there, Kim?"

"Clearly your breast, doy." She rubbed her face in it more and gave her another loving hug.

Shego chuckled and put the magazine down, "How's school?"

"Mmm, s'okay. Not much to say yet, I don't expect to do anything exciting until next semester. Are you really asking?"

"I am, I'm curious how you're doing with bioengineering. And have you ever known me to ask you something I'm not going to pay attention to?"

"Okay, sorry. So, generally the same answer, right now it's teaching toolsets and methodologies. Haven't gotten to the growing of super tomatoes or mega pumpkins yet. A lot my classes revolve around basic botany right now. Other than that, made a few friends. Gwen, who've you met."

"Ah yes, Gwen. She seems… cute." Shego was half joking, half accusing Kim.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing, just hoping I didn't make you _too_ lonely."

"Oh you did Shego," Shego was a little shocked to hear that. "I didn't cheat on you, I'm just saying, you made me ache. But I'm not getting into that, I know why it happened, we're together now, end of discussion. And never suspect I would. I'm yours." Kim then mumbled, "It's you I'm worried about." Kim buried her head into Shego's side knowing full well it's just as offensive saying it.

"Haha, you don't need to worry about that either Pumpkin. I'm yours too."

Kim lifted her head, "Gwen's nice though. She just doesn't know you like I do, no one does."

"And we're gonna keep it that way."

"Aw, why? I thought with the whole parole facade, you could, I don't know, be friendly." Shego looked at her funny. "Okay not _friendly_ , but you know… you know what I _mean_." She yawned.

"Well, I'll be getting to know her soon enough."

"I'm hoping background checks and not in-your-face threats?"

"I'm a ghost, all background."

"Alright then. I _am_ being careful, you know. To everyone, I'm just another college student… with a history of globe trotting and world saving. You know, normal."

Shego huffed with a smile, "I know you're being careful, I don't doubt that. I'm just making sure."

"Mm well, too tired for that stuff, I wanna know," she yawned again.

Shego yawned back in response, "Hey, don't do that."

"Can't help it." Kim began to chuckle to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing, you won't tell me."

"Well, now I'm curious."

"I was just imagining what you'd be like at age eight."

She huffed, "And what exactly are you imagining?"

"I'll tell you but don't get mad if I'm way off."

"No promises."

Kim snickered, "I see a little green you - sorry I can't imagine you without that." She looked at Shego to see if she was offended. Shego just nudged her to continue. "You have a short ponytail and this red plaid dress-"

"Uck."

"I know," she giggled, "it's ugly in my head too. You wore it because your parents forced you, thinking it would be cute. I see an older boy come up and yank your ponytail and you just knock him the hell out." They both laughed.

"Okay, what else?"

"I don't know, I kind of just see you with a book all the time, glaring at people that come near you and then telling them off in a vocabulary that's beyond whoever approached you. Then..., then there's the side of you who's interested in how things work. Not just objects but people. LIke you want to know what makes them tick. You'd approach a girl, a little bashfully, and reach to hold her hand, just to see how it felt," Kim smiled.

With a mild chuckle, "And would this hand happen to be attached to a particular young redhead?"

"As if! I was just," she yawned once more, "'I was just imagining. 'Sides, I was still in diapers."

"So, I'm changing your diapers in this dream of yours? Thanks…. This isn't a kink of yours, is it?" Shego pulled back a smile, "Kim, I think we need to have another talk. I'm not into that."

Kim turned to her and laughed into an astonished look, "Shut up, you!" They both laughed.

"It's a cute story, Kim."

She relaxed into her bigger spoon, "Sooo, come on, how close was I?"

"I wasn't _always_ a total bitch. And no boys pulled my ponytail."

"You wore one?"

"I did, and I was relatively kind to people too. I _was_ a hero first, after all. My attitude didn't really turn sour until a few years later and far worse years after that. Buuut, I wasn't green then. It happened sometime when I was fourteen." She saw Kim's eyes close with a little smile but knew she wasn't asleep yet and continued, "I don't remember much of my past. Eight year old me would probably not like the 'me' now. But who knows, maybe she would. I'm with you and that probably would have made her…, me, happy. Whatever. And I was fashionable, then, too Kimmie. My mother wouldn't dare put me in plaid." Shego snickered and looked down and saw Kim was asleep. She smiled, both at Kim for falling asleep and not having to talk about her past any further. She turned out the lights and held Kim until she fell asleep too.

~oO0Oo~

Shego woke to a sudden dull pain in her calf. Kim was having a vicious nightmare and kicked her. Shego, still in a daze, lit her hands thinking she was under attack, _Impossible! How did anyone get in?_ She very quickly realized Kim was suffering and fighting unconsciously in her sleep. She reduced her hands to a soft glow and carefully pulsed heat on Kim's back. Kim flinched at first and a hand swiped at Shego face, hitting her cheekbone, but Kim soon succumbed to her soothing touch. Tears wet her pillow and her face. When Kim was finally able to rest, Shego held her tight and made sure she wouldn't separate again. Shego ached seeing Kim like this, she whispered, "I'll never leave you again."

* * *

I'll try to polish this as I'm fully aware the dialogue was just too much. I wrote this over a year ago and I'm fighting the old writing style as much as I can. There's dialogue and events in here where, if I cut it, will make several events in future chapters not make a lot of sense. I've written 28 chapters total and hope things smooth out over time. BELIEVE IN ME! :)

I have several challenges ahead of me. I want to get this story out while re-writing JALV. But I also have some non-FF short stories I want to post on my blog. So little time.


	3. Chapter 3

"Di-did I hit 'send'?" Kim fluttered her eyes open.

Shego woke quickly after Kim's strange inquiry. She hugged her tightly, "Mm yeah, you did Pumpkin. You okay?"

Kim smiled with Shego's tight squeeze, "Yeah, why?" Kim didn't seem to realize she was fighting in her sleep. The nightmares, however, were regular and reserved this information as not to burden Shego with more worry.

"Nothing, just checking." She kissed her cheek, "I'll go make breakfast, then out to see your parents." Shego had no trouble getting out of bed having woken up hours earlier and only resting, slipping in and out of light sleep.

A little lost but Kim dismissed Shego's concern, "Mk, what time is it?" She asked as she looked at her Kimmunicator on the nightstand, "Erm, nevermind." Her eyes widened, "Shit, it's 09:24!"

"You said classes were late afternoon, what's wrong?"

"I guess nothing, I usually wake up at five. I'm just shocked."

"Hrm, well, stay in bed a little longer, I'll call up when it's ready." A little smile over her shoulder before she headed down the stairs.

"Okay, thanks!" Kim wanted to reciprocate all the nice gestures Shego was doing for her. She thought to offer dinner but feared she might be able to. The reunion might be a brief one before she's off on a mission. The news of it would likely put her in a sour mood and she opted to remain blissfully ignorant for the time being. Kim looked up at the ceiling and then to the familiar walls feeling relaxed, yet oddly anxious. _I should be studying. Get up. It's just one day. That's how it starts, be diligent! It's not even a FULL day. Come on, Shego's back! I'll make up for it, promise! You better or you're going to have SO many earworms. The wheels on the bus- Oh screw you! That's just a taste._ Kim had an unusual knack for arguing with herself. It was both motivating, yet also extremely time consuming. She filled her mind with thoughts of Shego, thrilled she was back, even if it might be just for today. The thought of her leaving again needled, though. She sighed and shut her eyes, forcing the thought away.

Meanwhile the skilled chef stared blankly into the fridge. She spoke the items from within one by one without much attention, forcing herself to repeat the items again. She was distracted by thoughts of Kim's violent fits in the night and wondered how long and often they occurred. _Fuck it, omelets, we're having omelets._ The desire to cook something more elaborate and special poked at her, but this seemed good enough with Kim's current college diet of Ramen and takeout. With a flip and a sizzle, she placed the omelets on plates and accompanied them with some hot salsa she made from a few nights before - a recipe with a smidgen of ghost pepper. She went to the stairway to call up, but Kim was already on her way down. "Perfect timing, Pumpkin."

"Smells good." Kim tightened her purple, terry cloth robe, a habit developed living with family. Her home triggered all her familiar senses and conventions. Shego grabbed the collar of her robe and pulled Kim in for a kiss, loosening it in the process.

She spoke softly, "Have a seat."

"Can I make you dinner?" Kim's eyes widened, the question slipped out. A moment of despair, expecting Shego to say she wouldn't be available.

"Sure, when should I pick you up?"

"Really!?" Kim's heart fluttered. She excitedly grabbed Shego.

"Ah! Yes, Princess!" Shego was surprised.

"How long are you staying… I mean… with me."

"With you, forever. For as long as you'll have me." Shego's cuteness was short-lived on Kim as she huffed at the answer. "And I know what you're asking, ass. We're good, I'm back. Sure, there might be some nights when I'm not home, but I'll let you know, I promise. How's that sound?" Shego thought it was clear she wouldn't be leaving again the night before.

 _SHEGO'S BACK, SHEGO'S BACK!_ Kim hugged her and did a tiny dance in place. "I won't be a distraction. I promise. But finally, finally we can really start." Start having fun, petty arguments, fighting over who put a utensil in the wrong drawer. Start doing everything and nothing, playing games, finally being together, starting a relationship. Shego knew exactly what she meant and hugged her back lovingly but soon slid her hands to Kim's butt. "Don't ruin the moment, Shego."

"I'm enhancing it," she said defensively.

Kim gave a quick peck on Shego's lips, "Ruined," and moved to sit at the table. The now cheerful redhead grabbed a sizeable portion of the salsa and slathered it on her omelet.

Shego looked over at her with widening eyes and a creeping smirk on her face. Shego's conscience prodded her and decidedly poured a glass of milk. She left the carton out on the counter and brought the glass to the table. When she sat down again she hid her smile behind her folded hands and leaned her elbows on the table. She watched Kim take her first bite like a lioness to her prey. She almost couldn't watch but certainly wouldn't look away.

"As usual Shego, your food is so good. How come you're not eating?" Shego raised a brow, confused, but then she watched Kim's face turn red, beads of sweat forming, and her smile returned. "You are such a fucking, HAH! HAH! ASS! HAAAAAH!" Shego burst out laughing and pushed the milk to Kim. "HOT!" Kim began gulping the drink and Shego grabbed the carton to pour more. Kim stabbed two of her fingers in the salsa and went to Shego, stabbing her fingers in her mouth and rubbed it on her lips.

Shego's eyes went impossibly wide a moment later, squealing, "MMMMMMRRRGGH! BITCH BITCH BITCH!" Shego started drinking directly out of the carton, but Kim needed more. Kim tried to pull the carton away, but Shego pushed her back and started running around the house with the carton to her lips and spilled a trail.

"SHEGO GIVE IT BACK! HUUGGHH! YOU'RE GETTING IT EVERYWHERE! HAAAA-HOT!" Kim was salivating profusely, her nose running, and sweat poured from her face and neck.

Shego stopped running as her mouth finally cooled, "Here!" Kim quickly grabbed the milk and started chugging. "You know Princess, I put it on the side for a reason." She wiped her mouth as she spoke.

Kim scream-grunted at Shego through gulps. Finally the milk cooled her mouth, "What did you put in it!?"

Shego defended, "A _little_ bit of crushed ghost pepper. In _moderation_ it's quite flavorful."

"Uggghhhh! Why do you never warn me!?" Kim whined.

"Exciting?"

Kim briefly looked at her angrily, baring her teeth and curled her fingers before stomping off back to the kitchen. She slammed the carton on the counter and started eating from Shego's plate. She then pointed and waved her finger at the floor for Shego to clean up without saying a word or looking in her direction. The flavors in her mouth began to open and envelope her tongue. She sighed in enjoyment. She began to chuckle, shaking her head in disbelief, which turned into a gentle laugh, "Don't ever change."

Shego, with a roll of paper towels in hand, was relieved she wasn't mad at her anymore. She started wiping the floor, "Hey, Kimmie. "

"Yeah?"

"Be careful where you touch." Kim snorted. "No, seriously, it's a fire you can't put out."

"Accident?"

"Luckily, just the nose, wouldn't want to chance it elsewhere."

Kim hummed a chuckled. Despite the less than enjoyable experience, this was valuable time with Shego. Perhaps a story to tell to a friend or just to reminisce. She definitely wanted more, "I think I'm gonna cancel my lunch with Gwen."

"Up to you, I can make it work, if you want."

"You feel guilty don't you?"

"I don't do 'guilty', Cupcake. And why should I feel guilty?"

"Oh I don't know, making it sound like being away wouldn't take that long, but took three months," Shego silently mouthed the words 'two and a half' to herself, "told me you'd see me _really_ soon, but took three days with no additional communication," Shego accepted that one, "being rude to my roommate and that awful awful car out there… okay those two aren't so bad. BUT you burned my damn mouth off!"

"OKAY! I feel a _little_ guilty, but that's not why I'm offering to take you to see Gwen… or anything else that you need."

"Then why?"

Shego got up from the floor and threw out the towels, "Are you going to analyze everything I do?"

"Alright, I'm sorry. I actually wasn't going for a guilt trip. I was _going_ to follow up with, 'you shouldn't feel guilty, especially with everything you're doing.'" Kim paused a moment, "I don't want you to go out of your way to spoil me."

"I'll spoil my princess any damn way I want." Kim smiled lightly at this while Shego kissed her cheek and sat down in front of her salsa slathered omelet. "Kimmie, if two minutes ago wasn't proof enough, I'm gonna have to try harder to piss you off."

A slight burn remained on Kim's cheek. She started furiously wiping her face. "Jeez, you weren't kidding about that stuff."

Shego touched her own lips, just realizing her ghost pepper salsa remained present despite efforts to wipe it off. "Yeah, pretty intense," she said while scraping the majority of the smeared salsa off her omelet.

"Well, I think I'm going to cancel lunch anyway, I really rather spend more time with you." Shego was pleased, as that's all she wanted too. "I'm just gonna run up and send her a quick message." Kim began getting up.

"Great, but NOT before you finish," Shego pointed a fork at Kim's unfinished dish, "Besides, don't you want to watch me eat your salsa soaked omelet?"

Kim snickered at a thought and sat back down, "Okay, before you do, I have a proposal."

"Oh?"

"I saw these… vibrating panties online an-"

"OoooOOOoooo."

"Shut up! Let me finish," she said coyly, "If you finish eating all of it _with_ the salsa you just scraped off, I'll give you the wireless remote to them. But if not, _I_ get the remote." Kim grinned lightly.

Shego grinned back, slathering the salsa back on. "Go and buy them, overnight it."

Kim crossed her arms, "Challenge first."

"Here we go!" Shego lifted her plate to her mouth and shoveled the omelet in as fast as she could with the idea that downing the food faster would make it less painful. She was wrong. "DONE!" So very wrong.

"How the f-" and then Kim saw the metamorphosis.

Shego went from a proud smirk, to a worried frown, to looking deathly ill. Beads of sweat formed and her forehead and cheeks darkened, "MILK!" Kim got up quickly to grab the carton, but it was all gone. She looked at Shego worriedly and shook her head 'no'. Kim's apologetic expression did nothing to alleviate the increasingly hot torture. "FWIDGE!" Shego was losing her ability to talk as the heat began numbing her lips, tongue, and throat. A soft, moaning whine hurried Kim, but again, no more milk. Kim turned her palms ups. "BREAD BWED BWED BEDUH!" she said in a coughing fit. Kim bounced from pantry to cabinet, not finding it. Shego irritatingly screamed, "COUNT-TEEERRRRRRRRRR!" She rested her head on the table, pounding it with her fist. Kim grabbed the loaf and threw it on the table and watched her stuff her face.

Kim began giggling despite trying to restrain, "I'm sorry."

Shego spoke through the mouthfuls of bread, "NRRRT FUUUNNNEEEE!" Kim snorted harder. Shego swallowed hard, "HEAVY CREAM, BUTTERMILK, BUTTER, GET ME SOMETHING!" Kim spun back to the fridge and gave her heavy cream. She winced as she watched Shego chug it. Shego ate another slice of bread and her mouth finally cooled. "Order those panties NOW! NOW-NOW-NOW!" She huffed angrily.

Kim screamed and ran upstairs, "AHHHHHHHH! OKAY-OKAY-OKAY!"

"HARRRGH! Princess, once I get those panties, they're gonna get _such_ an _upgrade_."

A couple minutes passed, "Shego?"

Shego's head rested on the table, "Yeah!?"

"Where should I deliver? Campus, here, or what? I don't want it at campus."

"Can they do PO box?"

"Ummm, doesn't say it doesn't."

"I'll be right up!"

"'Kay."

Shego huffed a few times, her stomach grumbled and whined but she ignored the worrying sounds. She got up, dumped their plates in the sink and headed up. "Alright Pumpkin, let me see." Kim shuffled over. "You know Kim, I can make this for _all_ your panties. It's literally just a motor in a panty. I could get Wade to sync it with your Kimmu-"

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL HIM!"

Shego laughed, "Should arrive tomorrow morning." A grin, "A hundred foot wireless leash, nice," she hummed a chuckle, "this will be enjoyable… for me."

"I didn't think you'd actually do it, I mean I didn't think you'd be able to finish it!"

"Well, that was stupid. Ah! it's gonna be so… glorious. I'm gonna shower and plan. MUWHA HA HA HAAAA. Be right out."

"Can-can we set some rules?"

"Noooo!" A roaring laugh came from the bathroom.

"I only have one more day before the weeken-"

"DON'T CARE!"

"Can't we just wait 'til the weekend!?"

"NOPE!"

"SHEGO!"

Shego peaked her head out from behind the bathroom door, "Would you have waited for me?"

"Well, n-YES of course!" Kim lied.

"LIAR!" Kim was absolutely lying. Another laugh came from the bathroom, "Deal with it Cupcake!"

"Fine!" _Ugh! What am I gonna do!?_

"That's the spirit!" One last laugh before she jumped in the shower.

Kim was a tad worried, she had a full day of classes the next day and really didn't need to be distracted. _Pout it out!_

Shego was lost in thought, having nothing to do with her panty reward. She was more mulling over creating a more advanced rubric than the one she originally proposed to Kim's school board. She passed her assessment tests with flying colors and was licensed to teach for higher education. She heard Kim enter the bathroom and looked at her. "Come to join me?"

"Maybe."

"You think I don't know how to read a _children's_ book when I see one?"

"Can't blame a girl for trying." Kim stepped in behind her and placed her hands on her shoulders. She shivered slightly to the moisture bouncing off Shego.

"Ya lost. Accept it."

"I do Shego, I do."

"But?"

"Nothing, I accept I lost, even with a full set of really important classes tomorrow and lectures that I really need to pay attention to."

Shego chuckled, "And there it is. You know Kimmie, some say sex stimulates memory."

"Come on, Shego." She whined and turned Shego around to face her. _POUT TIME._ Kim gave her level two pout her best, but no reaction came.

Shego had closed her eyes with a grin, "Children's book, Kimmie. I can even hear it!"

"Ugh! Look at me!"

"Accept it Pumpkin, you're not getting out of this."

"Evil bitch." Her voice lacked the playful tone Shego was used to. She took offense and turned her back to her. It was like when they were enemies, reduced to being a stain on society.

"You can leave." Her voice was cold, void of any of the teasing fun she usually poked Kim with.

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry Shego. I really didn't mean it like that. I'm just nervous about my classes. Can you face me? I won't pout, I promise… please?"

"When has 'please' ever worked on me?" Her voice remained as chilled as before.

Kim was fed up and disappointed, "Fine." A great way to start up their reunion. She opened the door to leave, but Shego grabbed her arm.

"Alright, I forgive you or whatever. Just stung a little. Okay?"

"I didn't mean it."

"You meant it to hurt even if you didn't mean the actual words."

Kim closed her eyes and sighed. She looked at Shego with a somber sincerity, "I'm sorry. And I mean that too."

Shego accepted her apology knowing Kim actually felt guilty. She also accepted that what Kim said was provoked. With a little relieved sigh, "Good, now wash my back." She turned with a smirk.

Kim huffed, "Yes, my mistress." She was lovingly sarcastic but the thought of any hindrance during classes needled. She wasn't one to turn away from a challenge but this was important, "I'm serious, Shego, I can't be distracted during these classes."

Shego rolled her eyes and gave in, "I want nothing more than your advancement in school and life, Kim. I'm not going to fuck with that. But I AM going to fuck with you, got it?"

Shego felt Kim's arms wrap around her waist and her face leaning on her back, "Okay."

"Good, now wash my thighs," a small grin.

Kim scoffed but thought to be careful, "You're not afraid of ghost-pepper-hands?"

"Mm, good point." Shego took Kim's hands and washed them. Kim almost refused until she was pleasantly drunk off the pseudo hand massage. She leaned her head on Shego's shoulder and softly moaned. "jeez, Princess, sensitive much?"

"I like… to be touched… …by you."

Shego stopped and placed her hands on Kim's shoulders, "Hey, remember this?" Shego pulsated heat and made her fingers dance on Kim's neck, back, and arms. Kim instantly melted, getting weak in the knees.

Kim gasped at the sudden warmth, "I can't top this Shego," she moaned, "you have to… stop. I don't deserve this."

Shego abruptly stopped to Kim's incredible disappointment, "That's right, you don't," she started up again, "but then again, that's why they call it 'spoiling'."

Kim closed her eyes and simply could not resist the overwhelming pleasure. She nuzzled into Shego's neck, "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"I don't mind frequent reminders."

"I love you Shego, so much." She hugged her tighter but the massage loosened her grip.

Shego gradually stopped her massage and held her in a loving hug, "What time am I picking you up tonight?" Her voice was gentle.

"I should be good to come back around 7:15."

"Good, is that enough time to make dinner?"

"Oh shit, I forgot about that. Um," Her voice a bit more panicked, "ummm…"

"It's okay we can take a rain check."

"I'm so-"

"You apologize too much. Stop that."

"Weekend, I'll make something, promise."

"I'm fine either way, you just offered earlier, so stop worrying." She clunked her head against hers playfully.

"I want to be good to you… for all the bad I've done." Her voice held sadness and regret.

Shego rolled her eyes with her head, "Kim, stop, seriously. What is going _on_ in that head of yours? It was a different time then, look at all the _permanent_ scars _I_ gave _you_. We already apologized for them, alright? I am so past that, why aren't you?"

"Does that time not matter to you?"

Shego turned off the water, "Out out out!" She pushed Kim out of the shower.

"Hey! Why are y-"

" _We_ are going to have a talk, but not here. Dry off, get dressed."

They both did. Shego held her lips tightly while she dressed while Kim was worried what the actual problem was. Shego sat in a chair next to Kim's desk and Kim sat on the bed. "Alright Pumpkin, let's get the baggage out."

Kim furrowed and quickly retorted, "I don't have _baggage_."

"It's baggage. Now out with it. I don't want every day to be a question between us. What are you so not sure about?"

"I'm not questioning us, Shego, not… now."

"Okay..., future us. I already have a vision," _a fantasy_ , "what's yours?"

"I don't know, I have questions-"

" _About_?" Shego was getting increasingly irritated.

"You'll get offended."

"Good start, Kim. Just ask or it'll never get resolved. I won't get mad however much it stings, okay? I want this resolved _now_."

Kim sighed into her hands and dragged them down, "I'm not asking about this war, I'm asking about after, if you, we, whatever, succeed-"

"We will!"

"How can you be so- argh, I'm asking what will you be thinking of me then. You did, doing, _WHATEVER,_ so much for me. I can't ask you to do anything, not then, not now. If it were normal, it-it'd be like you working all day plus overtime while I stayed home, curled up with a book, and when you get home, and I go, 'Hi hon, can you clean up and take out the trash? Thanks,' except on a much larger scale! I'm so insignificant in comparison! What value could I possibly contribute to our relationship?"

Shego climbed on to the bed, calmly, but without a word and made Kim nervous. She grabbed her shoulders firmly, "Kimberly, I'm fulfilling a promise, otherwise I _would_ be furious. It would be so much easier just to demand that you don't question how I feel or why. I've told you before, you're perfect. You're smart, sexy, and so strong. Your goddamn slogan is a superpower in itself. You take everything I throw at you and ask for more. You're fun… you're fun to be with, to tease, to challenge - and you'd never back away from one - you're fearless! And you're so goddamn stubborn sometimes, but it makes you all the more perfect. I can't possibly find a real flaw in you, and I've tried; I really have. You've pulled me out of a very dark path. Something I'm not going to get into now but believe me, you've showed me I can still grow to be a better person. So after all is said and done, after all this shit is over with, and it _will_ be, I could only offer to do more. And don't you ever tell anyone I was this sweet to you."

Kim got misty in the eyes, a soft chuckle at Shego as she lunged to hug her. "Okay."

She hugged her back, "Are we good now?" Kim nodded in her shoulder. "You certain?" She nodded again. "No more questions?" She shook her head. "Good." Shego gave her one more squeeze, "Good. Let's get going."

Kim gave her one more squeeze back and let go. "Okay." They both headed downstairs and just before they went out the front door, Kim had an idea, "Wait, maybe…"

"Kim?" Kim dashed to the garage. Shego, seeing where she was going, felt a bit of pity, "Oh, yeah, no."

"Shit!"

"They packed both cars with their belongings and went to Go Tower."

"It's fine. I'll drive, it'll be that much better when I destroy it!"

~oO0Oo~

"Don't… don't even pay for it."

"Hmm?"

"The car, this… this… _excuse_ for viable transport!"

"Aw, my pumpkin is changing sides." Shego chortled.

"And WHY NOT!" Shego was mildly surprised by the outburst. "I'm sorry," she rolled her eyes at the sight of Shego's glare, "Yeah yeah, 'don't apologize'. This car _makes_ people evil. It's- it's cursed!"

"Well, if you do intend to destroy it, I'm a law abiding citizen now, so I gotta pay."

Kim grumbled, "How much is it even worth?"

"Worth? Nothing. Less than nothing. We should be getting paid to even look at it. I can't imagine this car would go for any more than twelve hundred new. Off the lot and with the number of miles, I'd say about two or three hundred."

"I'll pay it, you get me the good stuff."

Shego huffed, "And so it shall be done."

~oO0Oo~

Shego snorted a bit of laughter.

"What?"

"'Hands up my crop top'?" A remembrance that popped out of nowhere.

"Huh? Oh," she laughed, "I couldn't think of anything. The only thing that came to mind was this horrible car and I think I just wanted some candy. The rest was forcing a rhyme."

"How'd it go? 'hands up my crop top, something about a shit shop… something?"

Kim snorted a laugh and dipped her head briefly, "It was 'Saw it at a-' er no, oh, ' _Got_ it at a shit shop, suckin' on a lollipop, hands up my crop top, out to fuck a cyclops'." Kim squealed a giggle.

"You're so fucking adorable."

"Oh shut up!" A tinge of color warmed her cheeks.

"What?" defensive, "You are!"

"Can't match your skills though, that was nuts."

"Had practice, my little Wegos went through a rap phase eons ago. They tried to out-rhyme and out-speed me."

"That is the cutest thing EVER! How young were you?"

"Ha! Wegos are much younger than me, Pumpkin. They were about six, which made me eighteen. _They'll_ tell you they were faster, but they were just using made up words like, 'ickalickalackafrack, gonna go break ya back'. That's cheating, even if they _were_ six."

"Eeeee! They were six? Were they monsters?"

Shego scoffed, " _All_ my brothers were monsters, Kim. Goes with being a boy I guess."

"Aw, were they really _that_ bad?"

"Kim, you have two brothers, add two more."

"Alright, you made your point."

~oO0Oo~

The car begins to 'ding'. "Shego, are we almost there!?"

"...Yes, I think. I mean we should see the big 'GO' building from here right?"

"I DON'T SEE IT!"

"IT'S There, it's there," Shego pointed, "we'll make it, just so long as we hit the traffic lights right."

"Okay, okay." _Nothing says panic attack like running out of gas on the highway._

~oO0Oo~

"Fuck you red light, fuck you red light, fuck you red light, GREEN! GO YOU PIECE OF SHIT CAR!" The car began to sputter. "Fuck it! We're close enough!" Kim swerved into the nearest parking space just before it died completely. They both got out and stretched their legs, "Oh yeah, I'm gonna fuck this car UP! _You better believe it!_ " She scowled at the car. She then sighed with a hiss with a hand to her forehead, "Alright, how do you guys normally go from here to there?" Kim asked as she viewed the tower in the middle of the bay.

"Well, _normally_ we fly. There _is_ a bridge but it's on _that_ side," she pointed to the opposite end of Go Tower. She gave a soft grunt, "I'll get Hego to pick us up." A bit of disdain still remained for her brother. She dialed him on her own Kimmunicator. He didn't pick up right away, causing her a little irritation. It was a rule. If it's Shego, you pick up.

"Shego? What's the occasion?"

"Yeah, _hi_ , I got Kim here, gonna see her family. Pick us up, we're on the south lot to the left of the tower."

"Kim… Possible?"

"Yes dufus. You coming?"

"I'll be right there and I'll let her family know." He hung up.

"I'll be proud if he figures out his left from his right. Let's watch." Moments later, both could see a hover jet exit the top of the tower, "Fuckin' idiot." Hego went farther away from them, but almost immediately turned around. "Yay, he _does_ know the difference."

Kim snickered, "Come on, I know you have history, _obviously_ , but it doesn't have to be bad every time you see him, right?"

"I guess, and you're here to keep me in line, so maybe it'll be okay. But, I can _guarantee_ you the first thing he says is a question asking if you're really my girlfriend. Just watch."

An uncaring eye roll, "Okay, Shego."

The hover jet blew wind hard above them as a ladder dropped down. Shego went up first while Kim quickly followed.

Kim thought to be polite, "Thanks for the lift Hego and letting my family stay. I really appreciate it."

"No thanks needed. It's the right thing to do." He spoke in his usual, clichéd hero jargon.

Shego only rolled her eyes. She waved to Kim to pay attention to her and held up three fingers out of Hego's view. She removed one, one at a time, and then pointed at Hego.

"Sooo, Kim, Shego tells me you two are… together."

Shego silently waved her arms about and mouthed the words 'YOU SEE!?' Kim waved a hand at her, affirming her brother's predictability.

"That's right Hego, we've had interest in each other for years, actually, but we were both too afraid to approach. I took a risk and asked her out and haven't regretted it once."

"But she's-"

"Evil? Sure she's not on the best side of the law, but she's far from evil, whether she likes to admit it or not."

"She's a girl," Hego said flatly. The tone was so matter of factly it was as if he assumed Kim had no idea Shego was a woman. Shego facepalmed immediately. She was going to interject but Kim responded before she could.

"That she is and a wonderful woman at that." Hego landed inside the tower, Kim's brothers and father were waiting for her. "Thank you again," she said as she exited the ship. She received a group hug from her family. "Ah! Big squeeze! Missed you guys, I had no idea you moved here. Where's Mom?"

Hego exited next while Shego kept her distance, both from her brother and Kim's family.

"She's at Go General Hospital. She was called in early morning. She should be back in an hour or so. She'd be happy to see you." Dr. Mr. Possible was suggestive, hoping Kim could stay longer than a brief visit. Kim looked to Shego for time.

Shego shrugged, "Classes at four, takes about twenty minutes from our next destination. I figure we're good to wait an hour."

Hego awkwardly stood around, not knowing what to do with himself. His eyes shifted between Kim and the floor. "I'm gonna… get us some lemonade!" An idea he thought was fitting enough to deserve praise. He walked off to the floor's kitchen.

Kim noticed his awkward glares, "Sorry, I'll be just a minute, I need to… fix something." After telling her family, she followed Hego quickly. When she reached the kitchen, she was watching him stare into the fridge with no lemonade to be found. "Hey."

"OH! Kim, you startled me."

She leaned against the wall, "Yeah, so, what's going on Hego? What's the problem? And don't try to dodge." Shego creeped quietly from behind and stayed out of the kitchen but within earshot and listened

Hego cleared his throat, "I just thought… you were… " he fumbled with his hands, "different."

"Really? How so?"

"I just didn't expect... you weren't supposed to be-"

"Gay?" Hego shifted his head and hands nervously, half nodding. "And what's the issue Hego? You think it's unnatural? Sick? Or does it just make feel 'icky' because you don't like it?" Kim was calm, an issue she expected to arise at some point. She was more than prepared.

"Look Kim, I don't want to be rude-"

"I'm sorry Hego, but I'm afraid you've crossed that line already when you picked us up."

"It's not right."

"According to who or what exactly?"

"The laws of nature!" He was getting frustrated. Believing with an absolute certainty that he was right.

"Nature huh?" Kim was a little snide with her remark, "Hundreds of animal species, mostly mammalian, have been observed to have homosexual or bisexual tendencies and relationships, ranging from bonobos, kangaroos, and even your cute and cuddly house pets. And how about this for nature, some aquatic life can change their gender, like clownfish. How exactly would you want their relationships worked out? You think it's _natural_ to have super strength? You think about that. And you know what, you have the Internet, don't tell me you never watched girl-on-girl when you were exploring _nature_." Shego almost made an audible snort, she grinned ear to ear listening to Kim take her brother down. "Hego, listen, when you push your misguided beliefs on others, you're doing something very bad. You take away people's rights. You become a villain and I know that's something you hate. Orientation is not a moral or ethical dilemma, it's not something to correct. And whether you like it or not, you can't change it any more than I can change yours." Kim paused a moment, making sure Hego was digesting what she said, "I hope we can be friends. I really do, but if you're going to get squeamish around me or your own sister, we're going to have a problem." Hego looked only to have exactly an ounce of remorse as he was processing what Kim said, but nothing more and nodded. "Alright, I'm heading back." Kim was on her way out, "And, I don't think you have to worry about the lemonade." She gave him a wink and just before she was out of the kitchen, "Come on Shego, let's go find Wego and see if they remember any embarrassing stories about you growing up."

Shego's eyes went wide, surprised Kim knew she was listening, "I didn't… I-I, wait, KIM!"

"Hey Wego! Are you guys around!?" Kim chuckled.

"KIMMIE!" Shego was suddenly hugged by her two brothers who snuck up behind her.

"It's SHEGO!" They said simultaneously.

"Ah! Hi guys, nice to see you again," she smiled, "now get off." She balled up a fist in jest.

~oO0Oo~

"Kimmie, I didn't do that!" Shego blushed.

One of the Wego brothers insisted, "She did!"

"All over the back of her dress! Smelled awful, you couldn't mistaken it. Only memorable thing from that trip." The other chimed in.

"I DID NOT SHIT MYSELF! I just fell in _very wet_ mud, but given where I was," she glared at Kim, "a FARM!", she looked back to her brothers, "it could very well have been something else, THAT WASN'T FROM ME!"

Kim fell over laughing. "Stop! STOP! I CA- I CAN'T BREATHE!" Shego huffed a heavy grunt and walked away angrily. "Wait! Shego," still fighting her fits of laughter, "stop." Shego continued walking as Kim walked up to her, "Aw, come on, you're not _really_ mad are you? You know I believe _you_ , don't you?" Shego stopped when Kim caught up with her.

Shego sighed, "I'm not mad Kimmie. That story just haunted me for years. You'd think being away for so long they'd let it go," Shego shook her head in silence, "I'm not mad."

"Good, because it's not like I don't have younger brothers you can use against me too. Aaand, if you really want to get back at me, you can always tell them I peed on you."

Shego snorted a laugh, "I think that still goes against me, Kim, besides I have tomorrow for my revenge." A devious grin appeared.

Having already settled her worry, Kim remained fearless, "That you do, but _know_ that I'm trusting you." She pointed to Shego's chest, then grabbed her, and gave her a quick peck on the lips, "Love you." Shego smiled brightly while Kim ran back to Wego, "More stories!'

One Wego exclaimed, "Remember that time we thought she murdered someone but it was just her pe-"

"WEGO, NO!" Shego threw a bolt of her glow in their general direction.

~oO0Oo~

"I think the most embarrassed Kim had ever been waaas…" Tim lingered on the word while Kim glared at them, tightening a corner of her mouth. Tim cracked a smile, "Oh yeah! When we caught Kim in front of a mirror doing weird things and-"

"YOU SHUT UP RIGHT NOW! YOU PERVERTS!"

Tim and Jim screamed, "WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YOU WERE DOING!" They quickly got up and ran away at the first sign of Kim raising a fist to them.

"I WAS NAKED! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" she shouted, "Argh! I can't believe they said that!"

Shego was a little shocked that Kim's brothers would go so far as to bring up that topic but maybe they really didn't know. "Forgot to lock the door?"

"I didn't know they were home. And, locks don't stop them."

"Jeez. No wonder you're so damn observant."

"Yeah. It's extremely rare for anyone to sneak up on me anymore… after that. I'd have to be really distracted."

"So, mirror, huh?"

"Oh shut up Shego." She covered her face with both hands.

Shego nudged, "Come on, we're alone." A small smirk grew on her face.

Kim rolled her eyes and spoke quietly, "I… wanted to see what I looked like to… if I had a boyfriend… this was before I, you know, knew it was okay. Whatever." Shego snickered, "Fuck you. You so owe me more stories."

"I'm afraid you heard the highlight of everything already."

"Oh really? You've got two more brothers, and one of them can shrink. I wonder how much _he_ spied on you." Shego went wide eyed, remembering an embarrassing time when she thought she was alone. "I knew there was more. Where _IS_ Mego?"

"He'll be back shortly, he's parking in a different hangar." The voice came from Dr. Mrs. Possible.

"Mom!" Shego was saved, for the moment, by her entrance.

"Hey Kimmie-cub. How've you been? How's school?"

"I'm good, you know, not much changed since we spoke last weekend but Shego's back!" Kim suddenly realized her mother wouldn't be as enthusiastic.

"Yeah," her voice dropped and glared at Shego from afar, "about that."

"Mom, not now? Please?"

"Fine but we need to have that talk soon."

Kim grunted her dissatisfaction and tried to move away from the topic, "How do you guys work?"

Ann tried her best to to be civil, "Well, I transfered to Go General Hospital, Shego set it all up. I still manage the team in Middleton, but remotely. I swear their heads would come off if I wasn't there to sew 'em back together again." A light chuckle, "And your father works remotely in the lab here but occasionally goes in to demo his projects. Mego and Hego have been helping us with our commute - cloak only, by Shego's orders. And your brothers are getting home schooled for the time being by-"

"Shego?" Kim looked at her.

"Not me Kimmie, I hired someone to come here."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, doy. Don't know what I was thinking." She turned back to her mother, "how… are things here?"

"Well, it's not home, but everyone's been very hospitable. I just don't know how long we'll be like this." She shrugged. She hid her worry for her daughter and, for the time being, her dissatisfaction with the sudden arrangements. What could she do? Kim was already in so deep she could only rely on Shego to keep her safe and that was already an unacceptable topic.

"Hi guys!" Mego entered. "Kim, long time no see."

Kim's mother got in one last sentence, "I'm going to get out of my work clothes, meet me in the lab with your father when I'm done?"

 _Please don't be about Shego._ "Um sure. Shego, how much time now?"

"'Bout a half hour. You're fine."

Ann walked out as Kim greeted Mego. "Hi Mego, it has been a while."

"You know, I gotta tell ya," Kim expected him to criticize her relationship with his sister, "you're brothers love to use me as a test pilot for their miniature rockets… not sure how to feel about that." He smiled at her.

Kim gave a soft chuckle, "I'll have to talk to them, thanks for letting me know."

"Oh I'm just playing, your brothers are great, I'm happy to help." To Kim's surprise, he wasn't focusing on himself and was chipper. "The lab's two floors up, you can take the elevator down the hall." He smiled brightly, "I'll keep my dear ol' sis company for you." He draped an arm over Shego's shoulder.

"Ugh," she brushed him off.

"Ya see how she treats me?" He winked.

Kim gave him an awkward laugh, "Heh, okay, I'll be back in a bit then." She headed down the hall and left.

~oO0Oo~

"Alright, what the hell was that?' Shego was sour.

Mego sighed heavily, "Shego, I'm sorry." She raised a brow, not expecting an apology. "I'm a selfish piece of shit and I'm sorry."

Shego lit up her fist, "Where's Mego!?"

He put his hands up defensively, "It's me, it's me!" and quickly shrank.

"I know, I'm fucking with you. Why now?"

He grew bigger, "I wanted to apologize last I saw you, but the news, Kim's family staying here, I haven't seen or heard from you in years. You just came out of nowhere, I was overwhelmed. And then you just left again. Not the best time to come to you and make the topic about me again, especially when the highest priority was Kim."

"Yeah, well, I needed to act fast."

"I wanted to apologize years ago." Shego looked incredulous. "I did." He gave the most sincere face and shamed expression.

"And what stopped you, exactly?"

"Technically you," Shego immediately scowled, "wait wait, let me finish. If I called, would you have picked up?" She tightened her lips and looked away, "No. If I mailed you a letter, would you have opened it?" She rolled her eyes and looked at the floor, "That's a no. If I showed up in front of you, would you have given me the moment to speak?"

"OKAY! Fine! But you kicked me out! You cut me off! Do you have idea how hard life is when you're homeless!?" He winced. Hearing his own fear that his sister lived through the worst because of him and his brother. "This is even after being a hero! You didn't even try, there wasn't even an attempt! There weren't any calls, letters, or appearances, Mego. I was in prison plenty of times." She glared at him, looking for what excuse he could possible come up with.

"That's not true, sort of. I wrote a lot of letters, but I didn't know where to send them, so I just... kept them. Most of the time I really had no idea where you were. I tried visiting the prisons, they wouldn't let me see you. You had no visiting rights. I would have snuck in but I didn't know where they kept you. I guess I didn't try hard enough. I could have, I'm sorry." He paused, "They're here for you, by the way, whenever… I-I mean _if_ you want to read them. I am _so_ sorry, Shego. I know I can't make up for the past but I _will_ try."

Shego shut her eyes and tried not to bring back the memory. But it crept in. Mego always followed in his big brother's footsteps. Had Mego been more mature, would he have defended Shego back then? Would he have told Hego he was wrong? Shego released a breathy sigh, "It happened. Can't change the past. Don't expect me to forget just because you apolo-"

"I wouldn't dare. I wouldn't," he put up his hands defensively. After some silence he scratched the back of his head, "You know, if it weren't for Kim, I probably wouldn't have changed."

Shego lifted her head and a little taken aback, "What did she say? When?"

"Oh, we didn't talk, just her in general. She doesn't even have powers and she just goes out there, fearless. Have you seen her brief moments on the news? She talked about social justice and equality this one time and…," he seemed a little embarrassed, "it was actually really enlightening. She's a role model to all heros. Selfless, brave," he trailed off, "everything I'm not."

"She's perfect." Shego could only reaffirm how great she thought Kim was.

He nodded, "Can we talk?" His eyes behged to bind work his sister again. There was no expectation for forgiveness but just some time.

"About? I mean sure, I guess, but what?"

"I don't know. Catch up? Have a beer? Something?"

Shego heard his pleading voice, "Alright alright. Let's get a beer. Gonna be a short chat though, I gotta help Kim out. I'm assuming you're still stocked?" Back in the her old days of hero-ing with her brothers, it was almost ritual to relax with a beer after a fight.

"Pff, you kidding?" He huffed a laugh as he waved for her to follow him to the kitchen.

When they arrived, they saw Hego just sitting at the circular table in the corner, deep in thought. That ounce of remorse seemed to have gotten much heavier. Mego just shrugged. He grabbed eight beers, gave three to Shego, but she asked for one more with a wave of her hand. He scoffed and handed her another. "Hego, you in?" He offered him one with a sudden thought of reviving an old game from long past.

Hego got up abruptly, turned to Shego, and hugged her tightly with his big arms. He said nothing. He released her and started walking out. Shego closed her eyes a moment to think for a quick moment and stopped him, "Have a beer fucker!" He stopped at the doorway. She continued, "For old times sake or whatever the fuck." He turned to face her, eyes pleading for sincerity. "Come on, sit." A weak smile appeared as he went back. "Don't get too happy, you aren't forgiven, I just don't want every time I see you to be this bitter awkwardness. Okay?" He gave a remorseful nod..

Mego placed more on the table with a creeping smile, "Usual stakes guys?"

"Oh no no, we're not doing that. I just want to enjoy a beer, that's it."

Mego chuckled, "Oh no? I think we are. You remember it best _don't_ you, Hego?" Shego and Mego huffed a laugh at his expense while he just grunted rolling his eyes.

Shego lightened to the remembrance and decided to humor Mego, "Fine. Just this once… just so long as we don't-".

"Oh we most certainly ARE, sis."

"Ugh, fine!"

Mego grinned and placed twenty beers in a circle in the center of the table. They sat equidistant from the center. Hego spoke, eyeing both siblings like a standoff, "You guys ready?" They all nodded firmly.

All of them simultaneously pounded the table and shouted, "BITCH FOR A DAY, BITCH FOR A DAY, IT'S NOT ME, IT'S NOT ME, GO! GO! GO!" Each grabbed a beer and began chugging. As soon as they finished, they chanted again. This was the game until all bottles were gone. Only one bottle remained and Shego claimed it. Unknown to them, Kim recorded most of the event on her Kimmunicator.

Mego took the voice of an announcer, "Ohhhhhhh! Shego remains undefeated! And _I_ remain safe, but poor 'ol Hego, tsk tsk tsk, is the bitch AGAIN!"

"Ha! If you thought last time was bad, JUST YOU WAIT _BITCH_!" Shego's open mouth grin was scary, but partially in jest.

Hego buried his face in his hands, "Ugh, damn it!"

"Have some more beers big guy, you'll get over it. Now, if Kim joins in, you might have a chance. What do you think 'little miss fly on the wall'?"

Kim was mildly surprised she was caught, "As if. You think a few little beers can phase me?"

Mego pulled out a chair for her with a smirk, but Shego stopped him, "Not today boys, Kim and I need to get going."

Both Hego and Mego complained, "Awww-ooohhh! Ya just got here!"

"I know, another time. Let's go Kimmie."

"Mm, picture first, of everyone."

Everyone looked to Shego, clearly the authority. She happily replied, "Alright, _one_ picture. Everyone out and get Wego."

Kim looked at Shego after everyone left with an inquisitive smile. She gave her a nudge, "You look like you had fun."

"Bound to happen, Pumpkin."

"Mm hmm." She accepted the nonsense answer, "Come on." She pulled Shego by her hand and led her to where everyone else gathered. Kim and Shego knelt down to one knee in front of the group. Wego copied himself and was able to take the picture while still being in it. Both families, together, in one photo.

"Alright everybody, we really need to get going. We'll see each other soon, okay?" Everyone said their goodbyes as Shego hurried Kim to a hangar bay and off they went in a ship with a cloak enabled.

~oO0Oo~

They flew for a few minutes before Shego received a message on her Kimmunicator. It was the picture they just took. "Heh, it looks good." Shego smiled at it. She peered longingly out the window and glanced at the photo again. All smiles. Even Ann managed to display filial affection. Her throat began to tighten and her nose was suddenly getting a familiar sting. She sniffed deeply and then gasped a cry. Tears flooded her eyes and she began to sob.

"What's wrong!?" Kim was alarmed and scared by the sudden crumbling of her girlfriend.

Shego shook her head and tried to speak. A gasp, "Because of you, I-" she sobbed hard, "I havvff m-my f-family BACK!" She sobbed harder, as if a decade of resentment towards her siblings was gushing out to leave her body in one anguishing cry. Kim got up from her chair and hugged her. "W-w-wait." Shego's quivering lip wouldn't allow a single word escape a stutter. She tilted her head forward to see through her tears and set the autopilot, "O-okay." She hugged Kim back. "It hurt s-so mmmuch Kim. And y-you just mmmake-" she cough more sobs, "you make everythhing BETTER!" Shego wasn't able to speak anymore, she wanted to scream, the feeling was so overwhelming. She gripped Kim tightly and her fists even tighter on her shirt nearly tearing them. She couldn't stop and her cries seemed to be never ending. Kim held her for as long as it took as the minutes passed. "I love you, I love you so much, I love you!" Shego attempted to catch her breath, "Do-do you understand now? That you're perfect?" She waited a moment for Kim to respond, "Oh you better nod, Kim." Kim nodded on her shoulder and they both huffed. After she slowly exhaled a waning cry, Shego allowed herself to loosen her grip on Kim enough to part. A few deep breaths later, "I... really needed that." A hard sniff as she wiped the wet from her eyes.

Kim took a few needed breaths of her own. Not just emotionally but Shego had actually be crushing her. "I know you did. I'm really happy Hego turned around. And Mego, he was a totally different person."

Another breath, "Yeah, I'll have to ask him about that. We didn't have much time to talk with that stupid game. Such a stupid game." Kim went through her Kimmunicator and started playing the video she recorded. The sounds of Shego, then Mego, and finally Hego, shouting in turns. Sometimes Shego would be fast enough to say her chant twice before Hego could finish his. "Ahh, Kim, you're gonna start me up again."

"S-sorry." She paused it and was about to close it but Shego stopped her.

"No, let me see." She watched it play in full. She smiled and wiped another escaping tear. "Send that to me."

"Of course." Kim hit a few soft buttons, "And sent."

"Thank you." She reflected on the reunion but then soured at the thought of why she needed a reunion in the first place. "I still want you to kick Hego's ass. And before you say anything, two reasons, what he did was terrible. It was, Kimmie, and it shouldn't go unpunished. Second reason, both of you need training, him more so. He's gullible and arrogant. He needs to wake up. So if you can spare some time Saturday, I'd like to start right away."

Kim sighed, a little disappointed Shego wanted to use her to punish him. But she reasoned it would be good for him. "Alright, Saturday, morning, so we can have the rest of the day for other training."

"I'll talk to him later then, I hate to admit it, but we need him."

~oO0Oo~

Shego set the aircraft to hover over an open field. She turned to Kim with a solemn look, "Kim, I'm sorry, but I've changed my mind. Not today."

"What?" Kim was miffed at the sudden change. She was eager to see Wade and Ron and wanted to apologize to Drakken sooner than later to get it out of the way, especially since he was helping.

"Just... not today. You have classes. I can't do this to you, I won't. I'm taking you back to your dorm and picking you up tonight. Next weekend would be better, I promise." Shego was very set on this and looked at Kim, "I promise," she repeated, softer, but it emphasized her sincerity. "We have time."

Kim stared into her eyes, judging if this was Shego's fear eating at her or if it was legitimately worth waiting for. She could see it, she knew then that whatever Shego was going to reveal to her would be an unnecessary distraction. "I trust you."

 _Certainly didn't seem like it with your little stare there Pumpkin_. "Good." Shego turned back to the controls and headed towards Kim's school. Shego thought she hid her feelings well enough, but Kim caught onto the subtleties.

"I was just making sure." Kim tried to assure her without apologizing.

"Of what?"

"That it wasn't emotional. I trust you." Kim hated the way she said it. It didn't sound any less offensive, but hoped Shego understood.

"As much as I truly hate it, how truly against it I am," she sighed, "we're better fighting together… just like you said." The mere thought of a hitch, a mistake, a small catch on a mission with her, turned Shego's stomach into knots. Kim nodded; not a smile, not a bit of joy hearing it. Just a nod. War was nothing to smile about.

~oO0Oo~

Kim didn't want to pry but couldn't help but ask as they approached the campus, "What are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I'm going to head back to Go Tower, let Hego know about Saturday. Probably talk a little more with him and Mego. Then to Dr. D's to see if your ship is ready. Wade assured me it would be."

"What did they do?"

"Just security and maintenance, nothing more. I'll pick you up at 7:15 here, don't be late or I'll go back and swap your car with the hybrid."

"Don't even joke about that."

"I'll be in your ship, Princess. I'll point the nose southwards so you can find the door easier."

"Thanks, see you." Kim turned to the door in the floor.

"Ah-ah! What's wrong with you?"

"What? What did I do?"

"Come here." Kim approached with a reserved smile and remembered a time the roles were reversed. Shego hugged her, gave her a little butt-squeeze, and kissed her. "Don't ever leave without a kiss. I don't like being apart anymore than you do."

"I love you, Shego."

"I love you too, Kim."

One final peck on the lips, "Go, I'll see you tonight." Shego watched her leave and flew off.

* * *

Apologies for not giving these chapters more polish. Given how often I update this story, it will be a good part of the year before it's done and I want to focus on my other stories I have planned. Please let me know if this is just awful, male gazey in any way, or just flat out not enjoyable to read.

Chapter 04 is going to need some time for me to polish. I have very little in there and literally have a note to myself that says "[This is a problem for future me - think of a backstory for Dr. Director]" To which I must reply by waving the finger to past me. yay. I completely forgot about it. Not to worry, I have a story, just not ironed out. sigh.


	4. Chapter 4

~oO 04 Oo~

Dr. Betty Director spun her chair around just before her top agent entered her office. He was called in a half hour earlier but he was caught having to handle an urgent task that delayed his arrival. He walked into her office on the hour just as Betty began seeing flickering messages in her cybernetic eye.

'KEEP YOUR DISTANCE'

'STAY AWAY'

'DON'T REMOVE IT'

The words brightened and faded, nauseatingly so, for the eleventh time in the day. It was 5PM, another warning, another reminder. The torturous glow remained and intensified for a full minute before disappearing. Betty tightened her fist, enduring the sharp, searing pain in her skull.

Wade managed to create something that took some control of it. The malware couldn't do much given the limited time Wade was given but it served its purpose. First, as a warning, preventing any engagement with Shego and Kim. The second, providing the intense yet bearable pain every hour on the hour. Lastly, it was insurance to get the strings, Shego needed, pulled to teach at Kim's school. The strings pulled to remove her notorious criminal record and also had the added benefit of keeping Betty distracted. Shego and Wade did, however, allow five hours of pain-free rest, but only to maintain her sanity. The last thing Shego needed was for Betty to make a bad decision due to lack of sleep.

Only a few more days remained. She'd give Shego what she wanted and the pain would be taken away. Or, so help her, Betty was going to vent. And venting meant lives.

Agent Will Du waited for a command and the reason why he was called to her office. He was still, rigid, obedient, never questioning his superior. That's what a top agent would do.

He stood there staring at the back of her chair after he announced himself. He assumed she was deep in thought and allowed her time, for as long as she needed. After a full minute passed, with her chair still turned to him, she began.

"Agent Du, updates," she commanded her subordinate, finally. Her office overlooked a large room filled with desks and agents behind them. They faced a wall that housed a large screen that shared data between teams. Troop count, casualties, locations of terrorists, most wanted lists, and whatever else was needed for reference at all times. She watched the teams below work quickly and diligently to execute various orders and missions simultaneously. But she only cared about one particular item that hung over her head. The whereabouts of both Kim and Shego. It was obvious that no new information was available, but she needed to hear it. She needed to know nothing changed.

"Possible is attending classes without fail. Shego, unknown. Last seen in Go City with Kim. They appear to be traveling at supersonic speeds in an unidentified aircraft. We assume Shego is near Kim Possible, but her exact whereabouts are unknown. The suspected aircraft cannot be tracked at this ti-"

"Fine. Continue surveillance. Dismissed." He turned and exited her office. Betty continued fuming silently, _You're full of shit Shego._

~oO0Oo~

Dr. Kang, a renowned chemist known for his research in metallurgy was on his way to refining a new hybrid metal. Something that would withstand immense heat, endure the toughest impact, and flexible enough to mold. It was going to revolutionize various industries from construction to home computing. The possibilities were nearly limitless. That was, until, Dr. Kang and his daughter went missing. Around the same time, scientists of different practices and close relatives were disappearing as well. It was peculiar with no clear motive. When it became too much, authorities turned to Global Justice.

Betty walked into an underground lab in another facility with two armed guards who casually kept their distance from her. A guard per exit sat with assault rifles in hand and an armed medical team stood on standby should any scientist cause any accidents..

Researchers, exhausted, were lined up behind microscopes, computers, and other metallurgical analysis equipment. All wearing GJ branded shirts and pants. A few of the staff dared to stain the logo off. But Betty didn't care. She only had one goal in mind.

She approached, "Is it ready?" Her voice was firm but calm. She turned her back to them and faced a standing whiteboard, among several others, littered with notes and formulas. Her presence alone left her researchers uneasy and being unable to read her face only made her more threatening.

A pause, too long for the already irritated commander, she began to turn around until one finally answered. Dr. Kang removed some of his protective gear and set his tools aside, "We need more time. It's unstable. We're doing everything we can. We're making progress. It just needs more time." He spoke with wavering confidence, weakening more with every word.

"When?" She slowly walked to the computers staffed with more nervous researches running simulations. They froze to her approach.

"A-a small prototype in three weeks, maybe two." He spoke softer, "Maybe two."

Dr. Director was silent for a minute, unreadable, stiff. She walked to the exit without a word.

Dr. Kang whimpered a question, "Can I see her?"

"Not until it's finished. But I could always bring her in as a corpse if you insist." Her eye met his and narrowed to drive her point. The researcher's breath exhaled in a shudder. "Get to work Dr. Kang." She left.

~oO0Oo~

Betty returned to GJ headquarters and sat at her desk. She ground her teeth nervously. A feeling of both anxiety and fury. She had been notified to wait for a call. Her shadow-phone finally rang in her locked desk drawer. A phone she wished never utter a sound, never to be answered, never to be expected to ring, but it was and it did. She answered the call, "I'm here," and she waited silently.

"You have… a situation, it would seem." The caller's voice was eerily deep that seemed to croak each word slowly. His sentences would always end with a sharp intake of air. The hiss appeared mechanical as if he had no choice but to breathe every six seconds. "It would be in your best interest… to resolve this… situation." Another sharp hiss. Betty waited, he would often pause, but he wasn't always finished and detested being interrupted. Her missing eye was a clear reminder to never make such a mistake again. "Two… two of my facilities are no longer operational." Betty flinched at every hiss. "One of them taken by a single fucking girl." His voice gurgled as he was unable to raise his voice. He took a moment to calm himself and continued, "Your past services have served me well and in return I will-" a sharp hiss, "allow you time." He ended the call. Betty held still, listening to the silence before putting the phone back on the base. It was rare, but in moments such as this, Betty was afraid.

~oO0Oo~

On campus, Kim was on her way to leave and meet up with Shego. Classes finally ended and she looked forward to heading back home. Kim heard something in the distance behind her but dismissed it initially. It wasn't until footsteps sounded like they were getting closer did she start feeling a little alarmed. She quickened her pace a little to confirm. In a quick moment she was on high alert. _Shit._ Kim thought she would confront the follower head on but dialed Shego on her Kimmunicator instead. Best case scenario, it was just another student wanting to ask her something. But worst case, she needed Shego. Shego quickly answered. But before she could greet her, Kim spoke first, "I think I'm being followed. But…, but I might just be imagining it. I don't know."

Shego instantly focused, "Head to the library, I'll track you and anyone else following." Shego brought up thermal surveillance on the ship's controls and quickly flew to Kim's location. She hovered, tracking anyone that might be taking the same path as Kim. "Kim, slow down. No one is near, don't let on you know." Shego watched her gradually slow to a walking pace. One was following. Shego changed to infrared and instantly recognized the follower. "Go inside. It's Gwen. I don't see anyone else following you. I don't trust her."

"Gwen? Why didn't she text or call me? It's probably fine."

"I'm warning Wade, he'll be on standby. Wait for her. I'm getting out and I'll be right behind her." Shego moved the ship over the roof, set it to hover, and got out. She ran and darted over the edge, and jumped from awning to awning. She stayed within the shadows. She controlled her breathing, snuck up behind Gwen, and followed her through the entrance without a sound. Shego hid behind some shrubbery and waited.

"Kim! Gaaahd, why are you so fast? I've been trying to reach you." Gwen rasped as she caught up with her. She briefly hunched over with hands on her knees to catch her breath.

"Gwen? Oh, what's up? You could have texted me. We could have met somewhere."

"Phone's dead, I can't. I dropped it down the stairs. So pissed at myself. Been waiting for you at the dorm so I could tell you. But you never came and… you didn't show up to lunch either." Gwen felt she started an unnecessary rift between them.

"But I sent you... oh right, phone's dead, doy," she closed her eyes in a squint with the realization.

Gwen shyly prodded, "Yeah, so, you weren't avoiding me?"

Kim assured her, "No, of course not. It's just been Shego, we really needed some time together." Kim offered a smile, "We've had a lot to catch up on."

With some relief, "Okay…, I just _really_ wanted to apologize for what I said. I was only joking without thinking and I'm sorry, Kim. And Shego, I want to apologize to her too. I'm just scared of her…" She realized that might have been offensive too, "... Sorry."

"Thanks, I'm sorry too. I overreacted, I think it was just bad timing. Something really… big happened to me this past summer. It wasn't good but she made everything better. And she's not so bad but I get that you don't know her like I do. She really is a good person. Great actually." Kim smiled to herself, feeling lucky to be with her.

"Okay, Kim, I trust you. I can't help but be uneasy around her though. The media made her out to be a terrorist for years. It's just embedded in my brain but I'll try to force that thought away. Where is she by the way? I'd think you two would be glued together with the way you greeted her yesterday."

Shego decided it was safe enough to slip in and come out of the shadows, "I'm right here actually."

Gwen screamed and shuttered in place, "AHHHHOHMYGAAH-YOU'RESOCREEPY!" Gwen took a moment, swallowed, "I'm sorry, you were so quiet, you surprised me."

"I came in a few minutes ago to meet with Kim after classes, I didn't want to interrupt. You won't need to apologize anymore, _that_ was just too good."

"Shego, be nice." Kim gave her a light glare.

Gwen began to back herself towards the door slowly, "O… kay, umm I think I'm going to head back now, change my underwear…, maybe cry a little." She offered a nervous chuckle, "Kim, see you around?"

Kim chuckled back, "Definitely, probably not until next week though. I want some more time with my green bean."

"Alright, see you guys."

"Bye bye, Gwen." Shego forced her best fake smile she could and turned to Kim after Gwen exited. "Kim, are you okay?"

"I'm okay, really. I'm just glad I didn't need to hurt anyone."

Shego took a moment to assess, "Okay, " another, this time to calm herself, "We're up top." Shego led Kim to the roof entrance and a bit hurriedly. She remotely lowered a ladder from the ship as her eyes scanned the area, "Up you go." When they both climbed in, Shego grabbed Kim and hugged her tightly. Kim could feel Shego's pulse beating rapidly in her throat against hers. "I will _always_ be there for you. Always."

"Shego?"

"I need to tell Wade we're okay." She released Kim and dialed Wade. "Wade, we're good. Maybe it was a false alarm. I want Gwen Stevens followed. Get Mego on it."

"Right away, Wade out."

"Shego. What the hell? It was just a false alarm."

"I want to be sure, there's no harm in that. For all we know, she could be a sleeper agent."

"Shego that's ridiculous."

"Is it? I'm not taking any chances. She came up clean before, it doesn't mean she is."

"Sheg-"

"No chances!" The stare she gave, it scared Kim, it let her know she was hiding something.

Kim gently placed her hands on Shego's, "Alright, Shego. No chances." Kim ran her hands around her back and hugged her, "I'm okay, we both are." Shego nodded, calming slightly. "I'm going to drive okay? I still technically haven't piloted _my_ ship yet."

"Okay. Take it slow, it's impressively fast."

"I remember." Kim got into the pilot seat. "Alright, strap yourself in, no guarantee this will be a smooth ride." She smirked.

Shego tightened her belts. No smile came from her, still calming down from the thought that a particular agent would be stupid enough to get close to Kim.

~oO0Oo~

"Kimmie, sweetie, why are we following the highway?" Her voice wasn't as kind sounding as the question.

"Um, I don't know the global position of the house."

"Kimmie," a pause, "you should have asked." Shego leaned over and put in the coordinates. "Go there. You can switch to entering a street address too."

"'Kay, yeah, I just know basic controls. You seemed… tense. It didn't feel like a good time to ask. Anyway, here we go." She accelerated to her destination.

"You're adorable."

Kim could see Shego was still uneasy, but good enough to ask for a status, "Are you okay?"

"I'm better."

"Shego, that's not really what I asked."

"I was scared… of what I was going to do. It would have ruined everything. The corruption runs deep. I don't want you thinking about this right now. Just let me shoulder the burden for just a few more days. Let me get Monday out of the way."

"Shego, your thoughts are everywhere. You're not showing me you're okay."

Shego took a moment, looked at Kim, "I'm not."

"Okay. Let's call Dr. Shrinkner when we get in." Shego nodded slowly.

Kim was almost thankful she was in the dark for most of the information that Shego hid from her. _How deep is deep?_

The rest of the commute was spent in silence. Shego was left trying to calm herself down, suppressing any horrifying thoughts that invaded her mind and desperately tried to remove Kim from being caught up in it.

~oO0Oo~

"Let's try a schedule then."

"A schedule?" Shego asked, unimpressed with the advice.

"Both of you need to do things outside of this… mission, as you call it. And you need to follow it consistently. Find some common ground, outside of fighting and the mission, between both of you and share it together. Even if it's only a half hour a day. Keep it up, same time, and try not to let that time-block get interrupted. The key thing here is to establish a safe and welcoming ground for both of you to enjoy. Include friends and family, or don't, so long as it feels right to both of you, it'll work in your favor. Does that sound reasonable?"

Kim slid her hand to hold Shego's and looked at her for confirmation, "You could teach me to cook like you."

The suggestion brought a soft smile from Shego. She turned to look back at the video call and nodded, "I think we can manage to schedule something."

"Great. Keep me posted ladies." Dr. Shrinkner smiled at them as she leaned in to disconnect, "Kim, I'll see you on Tuesday."

"Actually, can we umm…"

"Another reschedule, Kim?"

"No, no, I want to bring Shego with me. If that's okay? Both of us could use your help."

"I'll cover the costs doc."

Dr. Shrinkner nodded, "I know you will. Alright, I'll see you both then." She smiled and signed off.

Shego turned to Kim, not really feeling any better. Shego suddenly brought her Kimmunicator out, but Kim quickly covered it with her hand, "They'll tell us if there's a problem." She stared into Shego's eyes with a concerned smile, trying her best to abate her fears.

Shego slowly put it down and nodded. Flashes of her worst fears appeared before her and she winced at them even though she was staring at the woman in front of her. "I… I'm-"

Kim was having the same fears about Shego, but she forced them down, as deeply as she could. She wondered if her parents felt this way whenever she went on her missions; a possibility of not returning from some of them. She broke from her thoughts and interrupted Shego's, "Shego, I want to know how to make that dish you made me last night."

Shego took a long breath, knowing exactly why Kim made the suggestion. She swallowed hard and exhaled her answer, "Okay." Her voice was dry and almost coming out as a whisper. She wanted nothing more than to spend time with her lover without worry. "Okay." She repeated, this time ready to move. She huffed at herself. "I only have a little bit of lotus root left, so don't screw up." She offered a smile attempting to subside her wary thoughts but it was clear she was still having trouble.

Kim gave her a warm hug before she shifted to get up. She held her, "I'm safe, you're safe, there were no mistakes, and you did great. You protected me." Kim kissed her neck and receded to look at her. She cupped her jaw and softly kissed her lips. "Now teach me."

Shego's nerves actually began to settle. Not so much by Kim's words, it was just Kim. "Mm, okay, gimme one more of those and we'll start."

Kim smiled and went in for another kiss, lasting a little longer, a little deeper. "Hmm, now?"

"One… one more."

Kim gave her a quick peck, "More after, 'kay?"

Shego dropped her head in disappointment, "Alright Pumpkin, not exactly something you can cook in a dorm, but since you'll be coming back here, that's not much of a problem anymore."

~oO0Oo~

Kim walked into her bedroom very disappointed.

"It wasn't… _bad_ … for a first try, Princess." Shego tried her best to make Kim feel better.

Kim glanced at her with a narrowed glare, "I liquified some parts and some didn't cook through."

"But the flavor… was-"

"It tasted like soy-vomit and pepper-spray." She sat on the corner of the bed feeling a little defeated.

"Kimmie, it's okay, I'll pick up some more root and we'll try again." Shego sat beside her, rubbing her shoulders.

"You said I needed to get the wok _really_ hot," Kim whined. "I didn't watch you before, if I watched you, it would have been good!"

"I know Cupcake, I know."

Kim pouted, "I'm sorry for ruining it."

"Always with the face! Why are you so adorable!?" Kim huffed a small chuckle in response. "You know Kim, you could have won a lot of our fights if you just started with the pout." Shego hugged her from behind and dragged her to lie down at the head of the bed.

"Haha, I'm pretty sure I _did_ win those fights. _Somebody,_ always ran away, and it wasn't me." Kim smirked as she held the arms that were wrapped around her.

"Mmhm, yeah, the way I see it Kim, those were unfinished fights your little buffoon interrupted by bringing the whole lair down."

"Pff, as if! It was your 'genius' that rigged the whole lair to come down with a push of a button. Who does that?"

Shego snickered, it was an audible snort through her nose, "It was still an unfinished fight."

Kim spoke between mock coughs, "SoSquawksTheJailBird," she laughed at herself and turned to look up at Shego. She received only a glare with a wavering smile. "You're going to punish me for that aren't you?" Kim smiled brightly at her, knowing full well she may have crossed a line, but not too far.

"You better believe it. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to get those panties, give them a quick wash, watch you put them on, and send you off to your classes. I'll teach a lesson you won't forget."

Kim tensed, almost forgetting about those overnighted panties. "Shego," she spoke slowly, "we talked about this."

Shego chuckled, "Yes we did, and you'll be fine, but it _will_ be a punishment." She then spoke in a sing-song voice, "You'll see."

"I'm trusting you, Shego. I really can't afford to miss these classes tomorrow." Kim worried as she was only met with a more devious chuckle. Deep down Kim knew this was part of her punishment, but failed to relax. Psychological warfare was Shego's realm.

Shego sighed happily, "You're gonna learn _so_ much tomorrow." She could feel Kim was more nervous than she wanted her to be. She just wanted to tease her. She sighed again but this time with a bit of annoyance, "You don't _feel_ like you trust me, Kim. Would you relax? I already told you I'm not messing with your school." Kim did finally become less tense. "But you're still getting punished." Kim only grunted. "Hey, you lost a bet and you were mean." Kim turned around and pouted again, but Shego responded immediately with a kiss. "And…" she started, "... you owe me more of these."

Kim kissed her back. "I said more after you teach me, I don't feel like I learned anything." That didn't stop her from kissing her again.

"Agree…" another kiss, "...to disagree." A bit of pause as they both enjoyed the calm between them, "Let's get ready for bed."

"Mm, 'kay, " Kim gave one final kiss with a delighted smile and off she went to the bathroom, Shego followed on her heels.

As they both finished their routines Shego crawled into bed and accepted Kim in her arms. Kim didn't protest Shego's tight squeeze. Instead, she only hugged those strong arms just as tightly.

 _I was really scared today, Pumpkin, and I don't DO 'scared'._ "Should we test your punishment on the way to school, or do you prefer to be surprised?" _I can't let you be a part of this. It's too soon. 'Never' would be a gift._

"Shego, come on." She softly whined.

Shego breathed Kim's hair, taking in her scent. _I will never let you go, I will never lose you._ Her arms tightened with a barely noticeable tremble. Kim noticed but let it be. She dragged her fingers gently over Shego's arms and fingertips. "I'm going to get up early tomorrow to get the package, I won't be long. I may even be back before you wake up." She gave a kiss on the top of her head. "But in case you do wake up, that's where I am."

Kim grumbled her response, "Erm, fine." She continued stroking the woman's arms as a question decidedly entered her mind. "Shego, what's it like? Your glow, I mean. I remember when I had Hego's strength. At first it was dizzying and my skin crawled. But then, everything just felt like wet cardboard. Punching a ten inch thick stone wall was unreal. I just flexed and everything seemed so possible." Kim was curious, but she asked mainly to distract her bigger spoon and allow herself to breathe. "But you're able to ignite… is 'ignite' even the right word?"

Shego was silent for a moment. Her delay made Kim think she shouldn't have asked such a personal question. She opened her mouth to apologize, but shut it again, realizing it might agitate her. Luckily Shego did continue, "Ever wonder what it's like to have a tail?" Kim made a very brief and confused noise. "It's like that, I can't really explain it since you don't have my glow." Kim nodded once slowly and Shego knew she wasn't satisfied with that answer. "It's like flexing another muscle you never knew you had. It gets hot-"

"Doy." Shego slapped the side of Kim's butt hard. "Ow!"

"Don't interrupt." Shego cleared her throat, resumed holding Kim, and continued, "It gets hot, but I don't feel it. Or rather, it feels like wind with a tingle that's not a tingle."

"It's neat."

"I'm just a circus monkey to you aren't I?"

"I was gonna go with _helper_ mon-" Another swift smack on her rear, "Ow! Still sore from the first one!"

"And I can see it hasn't taught you anything… yet." She began caressing Kim's posterior gently. "Pumpkin?"

Kim was quite enjoying Shego's wandering hands, "Mm-yeah?"

"I'm never going to let you go."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Good." She nuzzled her nose into Kim's neck and spoke a little softer, "Good."

* * *

Pretty short chapter - I just couldn't make words go.

Anyway, Chapter 05 is a total fluff chapter. I mean, it's Kim's punishment and the whole chapter is about that. A little disappointed with myself. I'm desperately trying not to write "like a man." I'll try to get that chapter up next week. A lot is going on this week for me though, keeping me very busy, and ultimately, very tired.


	5. Chapter 5

"Mawh!" A soft startle to a new sensation. She was still quite asleep and ignored the feeling at first, "mm… mmrrr," it slowly grew more intense, "hmmMMMAH! HAAAAA WHAT THE FUCK!" The sensation came to an abrupt stop as the redhead sat up with tousled hair.

"Morning, Princess!" The ecstatic Shego greeted her victim from the stairway.

Kim looked down at herself, "How did you get them on me without waking me up!?"

An evil chuckle, "Time to get up, get to your classes. Breakfast is ready. Don't want to be late! Come on, up, up, up!" Shego pressed the button on the remote three times, holding a tad longer on the third.

Kim flinched with each press, "Ah!.. Ah!.. Ahhrgh! Damn it!" A loud cackle was Shego's reply. Kim got out of bed and, as she did, she felt a gentle pulse. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was noticeable. _Just breathe. You COULD just take them off, Kim. Yeah, like I'll get away with that. What's she going to do, spank you?_ A subtle grin appeared at the thought, but quickly vanished. _Yeah, with her glow. This isn't so bad and it'll stop when you get to class. Okay, I can do this._ When Kim met Shego at the kitchen table, she wasn't so sure. Her heart beat faster and her breath shallow.

"Like what you see, Pumpkin?" The Cheshire smile she wore was pure evil. She increased the intensity on the remote a tad more to watch her victim squirm.

"Shh-Shego…"

"Yes?" That smile, it was disarming, seductive, just pure unfiltered evil.

"Why are you wearing that?" The answer was obvious but Kim was not in the best condition to use her brain at that moment.

"Do you like it?" Her voice was inviting, warm, alluring, but still, nefarious.

Kim approached Shego slowly, gradually succumbing to her arousal as the woman dressed in intricately rose-patterned, lace lingerie, waited for her. "Y-you're not going to allow me release… are you?"

Holding onto her beautiful smile, she slowly shook her head 'no'. "Not until tonight."

Kim placed her hands on Shego's shoulders gently.

"Time is ticking, Princess. You should think about eating and getting ready." Shego stopped all sensations to allow Kim to eat.

Kim let out a breath, both out of relief and frustration. Kim kissed her predator on the cheek, "Just be sure you know what you're doing, because tonight, you're my dinner and dessert." Another gentle kiss was planted on those dark lips before she sat down and began eating her prepared breakfast.

Shego was warmed by her kiss. A pleasurable sensation that made, even her, subtly filled with desire. She remained composed and thought about Kim's words. The threat wasn't left unnoticed. Shego asserted herself by briefly turning on the panties at a moderate level just to see Kim jump.

Kim slammed her hand on the table, "Ah!"

Shego approached and swung her hips a bit more exaggeratedly to the woman glaring at her, "I know _exactly_ what I'm doing." She leaned down and gave a deeper kiss. A moan escaped Kim's mouth as her panties were pulsing gently again and then abruptly stopped when Shego pulled away. Again with that evil chuckle, "Tick tock, Kim." She allowed Kim some peace when she headed upstairs.

 _Raargh! I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. It's just a stupid bet YOU made and YOU lost. It's only until after classes are done and she won't do anything during class, and I have a lot of classes. It'll be fine. It'll be fine… it's fine._ Kim finished her food and headed up the stairs to the bathroom, expecting every encounter with Shego to be severely teased. As soon as she entered, *buzz* *BUZZ* *buzz* followed by a soft snicker. The teases weren't really arousing when she didn't know when they were coming. They weren't uncomfortable, just annoying. Kim let out a frustrated sigh and proceeded to brush her teeth and hair. Shego came behind her and Kim paused her routine, bracing for the next attack. Shego slapped her behind and chuckled again. Kim jumped, expecting the buzz and not the slap, and resumed brushing her hair with more agitation.

Shego noticed this, it was supposed to be fun, not malicious. She placed the remote on the sink-counter as an act of good faith, "Kim, are you okay with this? Is it really bad?" She was seriously asking and sincere. Shego was more than ready to call it quits if Kim said the word. The absolute last thing Shego wanted was to take things too far.

Kim relaxed a little and saw the concerned look in her lover's face. She released a gentle sigh, "No, I'm overreacting. It's frustrating but it's not that bad. It's-"

"GREAT!" Shego picked up the remote and set it to a gentle pulse, laughed, and walked out.

 _I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!_ Kim scolded herself. _Damn it Shego, have some mercy on my poor soul! I wouldn't have been so bad to you._ Kim took a moment to ponder what she might have done if the roles were reversed. _Ugh! I'm a damn monster. I would have set it to go and watched her squirm. I probably deserve this._ Kim headed to the bedroom slowly and the sensations stopped.

"Get dressed, then we head out." Shego placed the remote on the dresser so Kim could get ready with confidence. Shego pulled out some clothes for herself but before Shego could put on any clothing, Kim grabbed her arm.

Kim began kissing her neck, "I… accept, I lost the bet. But, even I don't know how rough I'm going to be tonight. It's not a threat, just a warning." She gave her one last kiss on the side of her neck, gently placing her teeth without biting. After a few breaths, she pulled away and began dressing.

Shego held a smile and shuddered under her pecks and hot breath. She wasn't sure what feral beast she was going to make Kim be but she was more than curious and willing to find out. She was disappointed to feel Kim pull away but time was a factor. They both remained silent as they dressed. Kim shouldered her laptop case and bookbag and stared at the remote briefly and a bit somberly before exiting the room. Shego, quickly followed, taking the remote with her.

As they entered the hypersonic vehicle, Shego couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for her girlfriend. Only a tiny bit. She saw Kim get in the driver seat and figured it was her attempt at avoiding a 'distraction' while driving. "And what do you think you're doing?"

"Driving?" A wishful smile.

Shego smiled back and buzzed her, increasing the intensity until she hobbled out. "That's better."

"UghAH! DAMN IT!"

"Kimmie, it was a nice attempt, but your classes are your only loophole, everything else is fair game." She snickered and buzzed her again, "Buckle up."

~oO0Oo~

Shego landed with Kim breathing heavily and covered in a very light sweat. "We can do this _every_ day if you want. I'll even let you have that sweet release." Kim only glared at her fiercely. "What?" She smiled gingerly and brought out a soft towel and offered it, "Towel? I can help too."

Kim snatched it rather angrily but it was more out of frustration than anger, "Unbelievable!" _Unbelievable, just argh! UNBELIEVABLE!_ She carefully wiped herself, "We better be cloaked Shego!"

"Of course!" She observed Kim rather rudely, staring as she wiped, "Wow Kimmie, hope you don't short out the batteries."

"They're waterproof, you ass!"

Shego snickered again, "I know! Haha!"

Kim finished and approached Shego in a huff and clutched the back of Shego's hair. She forcibly tilted her head back and kissed her lips, her throat, her neck and took a breath, "You better not be wearing clothes you care about tonight, I will _DESTROY_ them." She threw the towel in Shego's face and turned away to exit.

Shego was stunned momentarily from the attack. _Best investment ever._ "Stay hydrated, Kimmie!" Kim promptly flipped her the finger. _I better reward her tonight for being such a good sport._ She chuckled to herself with quiet demeanor, "You aren't the only one aroused."

~oO0Oo~

Kim was highly focused on finishing up the rest of her notes when she was suddenly interrupted by her stomach grumbling. Without much of a thought she headed towards the nearby restaurants near her university. It wasn't long before she was reminded that Shego was nearby as a gentle pulse massaged her. She drew a deep breath and let it out in a whisper, "Son of a bitch." She looked around left and right, and knowing Shego, up and down. No sight of her. She texted her on her Kimmunicator,

|Where the hell are you? It only has a hundred foot range. DID YOU GO TO WADE!?

|LOL

|Give me some credit, he's not the only one that can tinker, Cupcake. But nope, no mods.

Kim continued to look around in more shaded areas but still couldn't see her.

|Then how?

|Physics lesson for you. What's a great way to amplify electromagnetic waves?

|Water. You're pressing it against a water bottle aren't you? How far are you?

|Let's play a game

|Predictable

|Go in the wrong direction and you get this

Kim grit her teeth to the sudden intense vibration and desperately tried to stay composed in front of the many people around her.

|I'M IN PUBLIC!

|So come find me. I have lunch. Happy hunting Cupcake hahaha!

Kim drew another deep breath. Her first step started a gentle pulse. She knew this wasn't going to be easy as her campus had various red-brick paths that led to restaurants, auditoriums, classrooms, libraries, and the like. Shego could be anywhere. Kim was doing alright for the most part. She could tell she was going on the right path as the vibration gradually increased, but with slower pulses. Kim's breath was having trouble staying steady. She soon couldn't think where she was being led to and only followed the direction the sensations took her. One wrong turn had her quickly spinning on her heels and another to adjust her overcompensation. She could no longer focus on what was in front of her and nearly bumped into people walking by. They may have thought she was drunk or high with the confused stumbling she'd been doing.

|Almost there

Kim turned a corner around a building and saw Shego grinning from ear to ear in front of the library. Of course it was the library, so Kim couldn't protest loudly. The intense slow pulses came to a stop and Kim could feel she could breathe again.

Shego greeted her victim, "That was fun!"

Kim grabbed Shego's shoulder tightly, she spoke through gritted teeth, "Tonight…, _you._ " Kim didn't continue and headed into the library with Shego right behind her. She let out a sigh as her body calmed, "Where do you want to sit?"

"The corner by the window is fine. Are you mad?" She was legitimately trying to see if she crossed a line.

"I just need to use the bathroom for a minute."

"O-okay."

Kim headed off and it registered that Shego didn't get her answer and with that worried look she didn't want to sour the time they spent together..

|I'm not mad, I need to clean up

|but NEVER again!

|It was YOUR bet

|I KNOW!

|It'll all be worth it in the end =P

Kim returned to the table, the remote sat in the middle between two sandwiches and salads. Another act of good faith. "Did you make these?"

"You're not eating take out again, so long as I'm around."

"Thanks." Kim's mouth watered, part by the fact that she was already hungry and part by the fact that she knew whatever Shego made was going to be great. She had to ask as she took her first bites, "How the hell did you know where I was?"

"Our Kimmunicators have GPS tracking, doy. You could have found me in two seconds if you just looked."

"What? How do you know this? Why don't I know this?"

Shego unwrapped her sandwich and began eating as well. She huffed a small laugh, "I had a walkthrough. Your old one never had this since you only ever had one."

"Ugh, of course." Kim shook her head at herself with the realization she should have spent some time exploring the new features since she received the new model last summer.

After a bit of silence, Shego thought to break it, "I imagine classes are going well?"

"Yeah, after I deal with _you_ , I need to get started on some research." Kim began taking a few more bites.

A light chuckle, "I wonder how you'll deal me exactly."

A moment to swallow, "Well, let me put it this way, the only reason you're not pinned to the floor right now is because of my strong will and hunger."

"Should I take the sandwich away?"

"Only if you want to lose a hand." They both chuckled softly at that. "How the hell do you make everything so good?"

"Eh, this time I was lazy, I could have done better," she shrugged with her hand, "It's just your average sandwich with a good spread. Most good flavors come from sauces, marinades, dressings, or spreads like this one and everything else is just a sponge for it."

Kim dismissed Shego's attempt at being humble, "This doesn't help my… _frustrations_ by the way. You and your delicious food," she suddenly started typing on her Kimmunicator,

|your delicious mouth as you smile at me. Stop smiling at me you beautiful sexy bitch!

Shego laughed at the text and held in her smile while just staring into Kim's eyes.

Another bite,

|Damn hypnotic eyes. Stop fishing for compliments you beautiful asshole!

Shego snorted a laugh.

|You are so mine tonight

|I'm always yours, Pumpkin

|Yeah, I'm going to redefine that, TONIGHT

"Ooo, scary Kim. Tell you what, you're safe until our ride home." Shego genuinely didn't want to push her limits. The bet, the challenge, she had every intent to keep it fun. And Shego knew, deep down, that Kim would push herself, to endure, even if it was uncomfortable; all for the sake of the challenge. This was why Kim trusted Shego.

Kim breathed deep with a smile, "Thank you." She paused a moment to eat and continued, "Do you have any idea how this thing feels?"

A soft chortle, "I tried 'em on. I wouldn't control it blindly."

A momentary pause, "I honestly don't know how to feel about that."

"Haha, how do you mean?"

"It just means you are very conscious of what you're doing to me."

Shego turned to her Kimmunicator,

|I'm evil, remember?

She pressed send with a smirk.

|Tonight, so am I

Shego snorted, "Nerd."

Bashfully, "Oh shut up." Kim finished the last bites of her salad and checked the time. "Thanks for lunch, maybe I'll let you live tonight."

"You gotta go?"

"Yeah, sor-" Kim cleared her throat, "I'll see you soon."

"Nice catch."

"Oh hush, it's a habit, not to mention polite." And before Shego could reply, "Yeah yeah, you don't _do_ polite."

Shego smiled at her and grabbed the remote. She buzzed Kim as she began walking off. Kim turned to Shego, wide eyed and glaring angrily. Shego put her hands up and mouthed the words, 'Last one, I promise.' She grinned sinfully as Kim continued out the door with quickened pace.

~oO0Oo~

Kim stood in the ship after her classes were finished and stared at her seat. Her eyes lingered and then drifted towards Shego who was holding a subtle smile. Kim tried to prepare herself but she wasn't quite ready to endure the ride home.

Shego waved the remote in the air, "Need some motivation?"

Kim replied without hesitation, "No! No." She slowly approached the seat and finally sat down. She wasn't allowed to grope herself, rock against the chair, or anything that would help push her to climax. Those were the rules. Kim gripped the sides of the chair and flinched at the first signs of the ship moving. She closed her eyes and waited.

"We're gonna take the long way home."

Without opening her eyes, she grimaced, _How did I know she was going to pull that shit?_ But Kim was suddenly surprised to feel her pants getting unzipped and removed. "What are you- I mean I thought you were going to- with the-."

"Believe it or not, I'm not looking to die tonight. But I'd be happy to leave the panties on if you prefer."

Again, without hesitation, "No! This is better."

"Good." She slid off the panties and pulled Kim closer to her. "Just enjoy."

The long way home no longer seemed so unbearable. Kim let out a guttural moan the moment Shego began. She raked her fingers through Shego's hair and tried to control herself from forcibly pulling her head in. She bucked as soon as Shego pulsated heat on her thighs. And it wasn't long before all that pent up frustration gave her her first release.

Shego gave her a moment, "Again?"

"P-please an-"

Before Kim could finish, Shego had already lifted Kim's shirt and planted her mouth on a fleshy mound and thrusted her fingers, pulsating heat all the same. Kim held Shego's head tightly, crushing her into her chest. Shego was, of course, more than happy to accept the embrace. She gently raked her fingers over her ribs, kissed her abdomen, and appreciated every measurable part of Kim.

"Kiss me!"

Shego complied immediately. She took her in as Kim's hands held her head still. Kim only parted when she began to tremble, staring into Shego's smiling face, closing her eyes only to bear the waves of release. She kissed her again, and nearly in a whisper and fluttering eyes, "I-I love you Shego. I love you… I love you."

Shego held the woman before her as she always would, and as Kim began to calm again, "Feel better?"

"Mmm," Kim pleasantly sighed, "you think you're off the hook don't you?"

Shego raised her brows, "You want to go again?"

"When we get home." She brushed some loose strands of Shego's hair behind her hair, "You've awakened a dangerous beast and I'm going to make sure you won't ever forget that." Kim gave her a look with a dangerous smile that sent a chill down Shego's spine. "So, pass me a towel?" The look on Kim's face was like a demon ready to corrupt and devour.

Shego handed her the requested towel with a smile, "You're actually starting to scare me a little."

A small chuckle, "Hmm-hmm good."

~oO0Oo~

"Kim! I think you're legitimately going to kill me!" Shego exclaimed, disheveled and out of breath on the floor next to their bed. She slowly tried to back away from Kim.

"Again!" The evil twinkle in Kim's eyes only affirmed that Kim would not take 'no' for an answer. Her grin affirmed that it was still just the beginning. And finally, Kim having grabbed Shego's ankle and wrist to lift her back into bed made the situation all the more real.

"AHH! KIMMIE YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! HAAAAA HAHAHA! YOU'RE CRAZY! Y-YOU'RE INSANE AHHHH!"

"I WILL EAT YOU ALIVE AND DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!" Kim bit Shego's inner thigh, hard, and then licked the inflicted wound.

"FFFFFUCK! STOP BITING ME!" Kim bit her again. "MOTHERFUCKER!"

~oO0Oo~

Shego couldn't move, too tired, too weak, and too sore. "Tell me… we're done, Kimmie." Kim was slumped over Shego, breathing heavily. Shego couldn't see if Kim's eyes were open or not. _Please be asleep. Please be asleep._ Kim pushed up on her arms and looked at her worried girlfriend beneath her through half lidded eyes and a creepy smile. _No no no. There's no way I can go again._

Kim rolled off of her and began chuckling and sighed contently. Kim arched her head to kiss Shego's cheek and softly chuckled again. A worried Shego looked at Kim without moving her head, which made Kim laugh a bit harder. "Yeah…" Kim sighed out, "we're done." She saw Shego relax, but to toy with her more, she laughed again, "For now."

"Kimmie, I know I said you could do whatever you want to me and… and I'd be okay with it, but, I-"

"Shego, I can't move, I probably can't move for the next year. Did you like my love bites?"

"Kimmie… you're so crazy."

"Well, you think about that the next time you want to hold the remote."

"YOU LOST THE BET! And I was PRETTY kind today. I could have left it on and accidentally lose the remote!"

Kim corrected her, "No no, if you lost the remote, that would have been the end of it. You're a damn master of 'the tease'. You knew _exactly_ what you were doing. Don't pretend to be innocent."

"Fine. But what about the ride home? I could have done the same thing to you that I did this morning. I could still use the remote if I wanted."

Kim paused a moment and thought about it, "Almost. You even said," Kim mocked her voice, "'I don't want to die tonight'. So, if I didn't warn you I was going to be-"

"A psycho sex demon!"

Kim glared and slowly pushed herself to sit up, "I _might_ just have enough energy to go just _one_ more time, Shego."

"I meant a sexy princess angel!"

She flopped back down, "That's better. So, if I didn't warn you, you'd be very happy to keep teasing me. Self preservation is not kindness. Admit it, despite sucking the life force out of you, you liked it."

"Never again! Despite teasing you all day, _you_ liked it."

"Never again!" They laughed lightly at each other. "Hey, when you recover, can you drag me to the tub and bathe me?"

"Not. Happening."

"Shego, I can't move and I'm gross."

"You bit me… seven times!"

"Hehe, yeah I did. You taste so good, I couldn't help it."

"That's creepy."

"Do you ever wonder or worry that when you're asleep, I'm just watching you, salivating over your delicious body, contemplating if tonight is the night I devour you?"

"What the fuck, Pumpkin? I do now!"

"Don't worry, I just watch… I just watch." She whispered to further scare the already creeped out Shego. Kim smiled to herself as she turned away, "Good night, Shego." _Bet you won't tease me like that again._

Shego just glared at the back of Kim's head, _I know you're just messing with me, but that was a new level of creep from you._ "Kimmie?"

"Yeah?"

"If somebody is going to eat me alive, I'd be happy that it would be you. And maybe you'd get my glow out of it. I'd scream and howl as you'd tear me apart, bit by bit, but I'd love every moment for as long as I stayed conscious. You're the only one."

 _What the- Are trying you one-upping me?_ Kim turned to face Shego who was smirking, "Couldn't let me have my fun could you?"

"Fun is meant to be shared."

"That was messed up."

"And also romantic."

"Romantic? How was tha- Nevermind, maybe. Devoting your literal life to me as I enjoy you as a meal and a bonus gift of your glow. Okay it's a little romantic." Kim's stomach growled coincidentally.

"What the hell Kimmie, am I actually making you hungry!?"

"We didn't have dinner! And I'm too tired to get up, so are you."

"Kimmie! No, you need to eat… in like… a half hour. I'll get up in a half hour okay and make you something."

"Sheeegooo, I'm tired."

"Not my fau- Okay, it's a little bit my fault. Either way, you're eating."

"What if I'm asleep by the time you cook?"

"Then I'll slip the panties back on you."

 _Goddamn it._ "Fine."

* * *

So, funny story, did some research on vibrating panties to see if they were actually as arousing as I imagined - They aren't. Women's reaction were mostly, "I mean, it's not bad but doesn't feel like anything." And various brands pretty much had the same "meh" reaction. So, JUST for the purpose of Shego's masterful art of "The Tease", let's pretend Kim found some magical garment that actually hit all the spots and was as arousing as I described (sigh, big let down - those things aren't cheap either. They're like $200USD+ for just a "meh" reaction? THAT'S NUTS!)

Anyway, fun _fact,_ the whole extending range thing with a water bottle was kind of interesting as it's true. If you check out "Unlocking a car with your Brain" on youtube by Sixty Symbols, you see a thorough explanation of it. And the title of the video won't seem so stupid once you watch it.

Some rambling:  
I write these silly fluff chapters to alleviate some of the stress that comes from writing about traumatic experiences.

Next chapter will need a couple weeks as I need to even out the roller coaster of emotions. I haven't really explained this well enough yet, but Shego and Km are hiding a tremendous amount of stress under a veil of sarcasm and silly challenges to distract themselves from their day to day pain.


	6. Chapter 6

Shego pulled out a box from under the bed that she hoped she'd never have to open, especially this soon. She thought she could keep that lie to herself for a lot longer. But, it was necessary. She opened the box and took a moment to stare at the ingenuity of the item in her hands.

"What's that?" Kim asked as she came out of the bathroom.

"It's your first day of training with Hego, you're going to need this."

"A new suit?"

It was planned from the beginning. Shego knew from the start that Kim would never allow her to do any missions alone. She knew Kim would always be at her side. Shego thought, at the very least, she could delay the inevitable by convincing Kim to stay away from her plans and the atrocities that she was slowly discovering more of. Convince her that she never planned Kim to take part in it. The thought of just keeping her in school, keeping her busy, keeping her away; the lie would have been a miracle.

"Yeah," a pause, "I took the one he originally was making for you. This one, though…," Shego paused again, fear creeping in her heart. She really didn't want Kim to wear the suit. Despite accepting the inevitable, as soon as Kim wears it, there's no going back. Kim was officially going to fight. She was going to harm and kill. She was going to re-enter a world of sick and corrupt monsters in hopes of eliminating them. Kim was in the process of healing and that suit was going to open wounds that never should have been there in the first place. "...this one is going to protect you. You'll be a lot stronger and faster than you have before. You can punch a tank and do some real damage if you use it right."

Kim was intrigued and not quite seeing Shego's distress. New tech and gadgets always interested her. "What do you mean if I use it right?"

She turned to Kim, offering the suit, "If you don't direct the energy of the suit to your fist, you're going to break your hand and likely the rest of your arm. So, you know, don't mess up. Wade is really something though…, really something." Kim took the suit and held it up, looking at it as Shego continued, "He's found a way to direct the power of the suit to key areas. You can use it defensively or offensively."

"So, I'm invincible?" Kim smirked.

Shego furrowed her brows, "No! Don't even joke." Shego's sharp reply startled Kim. "You direct energy to one area, the rest is vulnerable. Use it wisely or you're dead!"

"Shego…," Kim placed a hand on Shego's arm and laid the garment on the bed.

Shego realized she overreacted, "I-I know what you can do, Kim. I don't doubt your ability, your skill. But I can't underestimate what we're up against or stop thinking what will happen with just one misstep. I… can't lose you. It's not an option."

Kim hugged her, slowly and gently. "I'm not going anywhere, Shego. I'm right here and I won't leave you. I will- I _am_ taking everything seriously. GJ has resources, I get it. But we're the plague that's going to take _her_ and everything she touches down."

Shego nodded and took a breath, "Put it on."

Kim felt the fabric a little more. It was thick and odd. The ribbed exterior felt like an extremely hard rubber or plastic. The interior was strangely cool and smooth. Like a slick satin and it clung to the body in the same way spandex does. When she slipped it on, it was slightly difficult to move, like a bulky wetsuit. Shego handed her gloves, the shoes that looked more like socks, and a helmet to cover her entirely.

"Turn it on by twisting both wrist rings away from each other."

Kim did and the suit compressed and clung to her body almost instantly. She gasped as she felt her heartbeat speed up and it calmed almost as quickly.

Shego instantly got angry, "Wade said it wouldn't hurt."

Kim felt only mildly disoriented by the new sensation, "It-it didn't. Whoa, it was just…" She took a deep breath, "wow." Despite the suit's tightness, it didn't cut off any circulation, in fact, it regulated it. Kim was in complete control but amped. "I feel _very_ light, weightless."

Shego relaxed to Kim's response. She noticed her own temper was off, more agitated than usual. The suit made her uneasy and a thousand thoughts of what could go wrong rushed sporadically in her mind. "Alright, good. Wade only gave me high level details about it. Move slow. Wouldn't want you crashing through the walls."

Kim felt weird moving about randomly and thought it best to just outstretch her arms and perform very basic tai chi movements. She gradually increased its complexity, "It feels so fluid."

Shego watched Kim's arms cut through the air. Each motion was precise and swift. Shego even felt the air pushed off of Kim's moves as if it was a force of its own.

Kim saw Shego's mildly surprised expression and decided to shut off the suit. She twisted the wrist rings again and instantly felt like she had four bags of mulch thrown on her shoulders. She nearly fell to the floor, not expecting to feel fatigue. "Well, that was different."

Immediate concern, "Kim, are you alright? How do you feel?"

"I'm okay, really. Maybe you should tell me how it works."

Shego sighed with relief, "Wade told me it enhances and supports your muscles like your last suit but this one does it more efficiently. You likely felt weightless because the suit eliminates resistance. It's still you, Pumpkin, it's _your_ muscles doing the work. If you start lifting cars, you're gonna feel it in the morning."

"Alright, so what else does it do?"

"First is your cloak. Make sure your hair is tucked in so you don't block the cameras."

"Cameras? On the suit?"

"Like the ones on the ship, just even smaller. They're tiny and durable, same as the displays. Now don't panic, but Dr. D. helped. Wade couldn't get-"

"AM I GOING TO BLOW UP!?"

"I SAID DON'T PANIC! Wade tested it thoroughly, there's no 'blow me up easily' button to worry about. Wade couldn't get the cameras or displays small enough. Drakken has resources."

"Did a little bird _steal_ those resources for him? Hmm?"

"Kimmie, is it so hard to believe that Drakken can do it himself?" Kim only cleared her throat. "Okay, fine! All I stole were specs, not the hardware. Okay!?"

Kim grumbled hoping Shego really hasn't gone out to steal, "It-it's fine. I don't care." She lied.

"Kim, what we're going to do… look, you need to understand, I don't care about anyone else but you. I'm going to do things-"

"We-"

"Yes, 'we'. You heard me say it before. We're going to do bad things. But it's the only way. Besides, what I stole, who I stole from, completely unaffected. I'm not selling the tech, I wasn't caught, and the company continues to grow."

"I get it. I guess the moral 'good' is something I can't just turn off."

"It's a good thing to have, I hope you never lose it," a brief smile before moving on, "Your shield is really important. We're developing something a little more permanent, but for now you'll need to actively engage it with your thumbs and palms."

"Wade designed the gloves didn't he?"

"Is that surprising?"

Kim looked at her hands and rubbed over the smoother surface of her gloves, "No, but I can tell he had video games in mind."

Shego took out a piece of paper and handed it to Kim, "These are the 'moves', as he called them, to control how the shield and energy of the suit is used. You can do some real damage, so be careful."

Kim skimmed over the paper, "Definitely video games in mind." Kim could almost imagine her hands were a game controller.

"Memorize these by the time we get to Go tower."

Surprised by the request, "All of them? That's like a twenty minute commute and there's like," Kim scrambled to do a quick count of the maneuvers, "thirty-ish 'moves' here."

"Ten minutes, actually. Treat it like a mission because that's how it's going to be when we train." Shego was stern. She was also trying to hide how much stress she was feeling. The thought of Kim going on a mission in her current state, it forced Shego to suppress the urge to shudder.

Kim knew not to argue given Shego's tone. Instead, she nodded and began memorizing the paper, "What if I can't remember if all?"

"Not an option." Shego started getting dressed in her catsuit and was confident Kim could memorize everything by the time they arrive at Go Tower. Kim worked better under pressure.

Knowing Shego was serious, Kim furiously started cramming and motioning with her thumbs.

"Time to go."

With eyes wide and staring back at Shego worriedly, "We're leaving right now?"

"Yes, keep the suit turned off until it's time to use it. Your muscles are going to ache tomorrow. But on the bright side, I'll give you a full body massage." Kim briefly smiled only to go back to cramming.

~oO0Oo~

"Times up. We're here." The ship landed in one of the Go Tower's bays softly

"Can I just- "

"No." Shego grabbed the paper and burned it.

"Hey! Come on!"

"Nope. Let's go meet my idiot brother again. Time's -a-wastin'."

They both exited the ship with Kim trying to recite each thumb and palm motion again and again in her head. She followed Shego with her peripheral vision as she stared at her hands and only stopped when she met up with Hego just outside the hangar bay.

"Is that… Kim?" His confusion stemmed from the fact that Kim never took her helmet off. It was surprisingly comfortable despite completely covering her face and neck.

Instant irritation, "Yes, dufus, who else would it be?" Shego needed things to go perfect or she wasn't going to be able to control herself. Unfortunately, to both Kim and Hego this often looked like normal Shego behavior. Neither suspected Shego was not doing well.

"Hi, Hego." Kim waved as a muffled voice came through.

"I'm sorry, it's just- when you said suit over the phone, I was expecting, you know, business-"

Tension was building more, "I told you supersuit you dimwit!"

"I thought you were just calling her 'super.'" He shrugged with emphasis.

"I-," After an exasperated sigh, Shego pinched the bridge of her nose, "Moving ON!" Shego did not miss Hego's inability to see the obvious. "Let's just get to the training room."

They all went to the elevator and headed to the basement. Anxiety further built in Shego the more they descended. The doors opened to a rather giant obstacle room. They crossed a small hallway that led to the actual obstacles and could be locked from within. The walls were all reinforced, intended to take powerful blasts. The training room was built like a small office building with three levels and various rooms.

When they walked in, it was clear Shego had already spent a lot of time planning and setting up a custom course. She grabbed a canister that could be split in two from a nearby table, "Kim, your objective is to get this canister into a tiny hole located in that box." She pointed to a nine foot tall, rectangular cube standing box. She took Kim over to it to show her the specific entry point. She twisted the canister and it opened in the middle. She handed one half to Kim, the other to Hego. "Hego is going to stop you in any way he can," she turned to him, "Hego, don't underestimate her, she _will_ take you down without breaking a sweat. Not only is she wearing a powerful suit, she could take you down without it."

He scoffed, not believing someone as slender and small compared to him could defeat him, let alone without his powers. He attempted to be polite to cover up his scoff with an affirming, "Okay," but it came out just as condescending.

Shego rolled her eyes, "Just get in position."

Shego looked directly at Kim, "Kim, you don't need to hold back, you know what he can take."

"Yeah, except I don't know what I can dish out. What if I really hurt him?"

"It'll be a valuable learning experience for the both of you. I really need you to show me you can take him down. He may be a dimwit but he's extremely strong. Turn on the suit and get in position."

Kim nodded and then looked around, "Shego? Where's my position?"

"Oh, right. Blue corridor, take a left. Once you head up the staircase, you'll see a large red square. Hego will start in the center here and you know where your target is. I'll let you know when to start. And Kim..."

"Yeah?"

"I mean it, don't hold back. He's the enemy as soon as I say go, just leave him breathing, okay?"

"Alright, Shego." Kim didn't know if she was joking. She went ahead and turned on her suit. The rush made her gasp again, "Don't think I'm going to get used to that." She ran off to her position.

Shego exited the area and went to a control room that overlooked the whole area with cameras. Various controls on the console in front of her operated various obstacles and traps. While Kim was getting into position she was trying remind herself this was not a real mission. However, each time she closed her eyes, she saw Betty pinning Kim's lifeless body to the ground with a wide toothed grin. She shuddered and cursed herself at the thought. Once the monitor's showed Kim was in position, she gave the word, "Go!"

Kim was off at an inhuman speed. Shego set off some obstacles which initially surprised Kim, but didn't stop her. A rising platform one moment had her hands shaking with indecision. Kim didn't know which move would be best but her momentum was forcing her to make a decision quicker than she wanted. She decided to direct energy to her left leg and kick off the wall to her left into a roll to dodge the raised platform. Kim felt the difference in her suit immediately. As soon as the energy was directed to her foot the weight on the rest of her body felt heavier. She got back up only to encounter a flying disk coming towards her head. She quickly motioned with her thumb to shield her right arm and raised to her head to block the incoming object. Shego tried to direct Kim down a more complicated path to slow her down and prepare her for the worst.

Shego was pleased with Kim's reflexes and calmed slightly. She did shake her head in disappointed when she saw Hego just standing at his spot and doing nothing to prepare for Kim other than to activate his powers. Despite wanting to give Hego a lesson, Shego really wanted Hego to be smarter. She needed him and it frustrated her that he wasn't even trying.

Kim eventually encountered Hego, who was leaving himself wide open for attack. Kim wanted test her suit first and threw a few punches without redirecting too much of the suit's power to her fists. Hego blocked the attacks with his hands and smiled. He then puffed out his chest to show how strong he was. Kim smirked, glad to know she really could let loose. She diverted the power to her right foot and performed a spinning roundhouse kick to his jaw. His head instantly slammed to the floor causing Kim a bit of worry. Hego groaned in pain and dropped his half of the canister. Kim felt relief as he was still moving, clutching his jaw. She grabbed the half, put the canister together a bit casually, and sprinted towards her target. She dropped the canister in and smiled to herself.

Shego rushed down and came out of the control room furious, "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT. YOU BOTH FAILED!"

Kim was very surprised to see how angry Shego was, "What did I do wrong!? You said put the canister in the hole there!"

"I SAID DON'T HOLD BACK! I SAID HE'S THE ENEMY AS SOON AS I SAY 'GO'! YOU HESITATED! If he was competent, you'd be _dead_! You took your time just putting the canister together like this was just some kind of _game!_ DON'T HESITATE! DON'T HOLD BACK!"

Displeased with how Shego was talking to her, Kim angrily fired back, "Shego calm down! We're traini-"

"DEAD KIM!" Shego took a breath while shaking her head, "If you aren't going to take this seriously-"

"I AM!" Kim pressed her lips together hard.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" she pointed, "You need to trust me one hundred percent. You're not going to have the luxury to try something before you do it. Just get to the target and execute. That's all we're _allowed_ to do. There's no time." Kim was left stunned and speechless. "And YOU!" she angrily turned to Hego who was still holding his jaw, "YOU STUPID CONCEITED ASSHOLE! I TOLD YOU NOT TO UNDERESTIMATE HER! She's smart, she's fast, and she's strong! What the fuck is wrong with you!? Get it through your fucking skull, anyone with a half a brain cell can take you down! Not everything requires a brute force attack! You're still as dumb as when I left this place!" Shego went to the target, reached in deep and grabbed the canister. She split them and threw it back to Kim and Hego, and finally stormed back to the control room. She shouted back again, "Get back in position, both of you! Kim, mission mode! Hego, defend!"

Shego shuddered as thoughts of Kim dead weighed on her mind. She raked tense fingers across her scalp and tried to gather herself. Kim was obviously upset with Shego but she decided to attack that issue after this ordeal was over. She stomped off quickly to her position again. Hego did the same but expected this from Shego. To him, he was never good enough for her and shrugged it off. Shego saw them back in position, but she had to take a few more moments. She zoomed in on Kim, watching her. She knew there was a scowl behind that helmet. _You don't know what they're planning, Kimmie._ Shego collected herself and gave the word, "GO!"

Hego took a more defensive position this time. Kim sprinted as she did before, but Shego wanted her in mission mode, so she turned on her cloak. As soon as she did she felt her body get heavier. It seemed that the power was devoted more towards supporting stealth than supporting her muscles when it was enabled. She slowed down to conserve energy and paced herself. To take Hego down, she would need to become visible just before an attack.

Shego couldn't see Kim and wasn't able to expertly throw traps at her as she did before. So she turned them all on. Kim knew what Shego was doing and was better prepared to handle the barrage of obstacles that were activated. Kim was only hit a couple times from the traps but it hadn't injured her. Even cloaked, the suit offered some protection.

Kim saw Hego in a more defensive position and chose to navigate behind him. His head tilted in confusion when he heard the sounds of running but no present body attached to them. A hint of a blur went past him and then Kim attacked. Hego took a better stance to withstand the blow and was able to keep himself from falling over. He turned to search for Kim but no one was there. He suddenly felt a two foot kick to his upper back and he went down to the floor in a flash. He got up almost as quickly, gripping his half of the canister looking left and right and swinging his arms around only to hit air. Kim was already darting towards him, cloaked until the very last moment where she appeared right in front of him, delivering the final blow that made his hand release the prize Kim needed. In the hole it went, Kim turned back to Hego who stayed on the ground.

"Hego, are you okay?" Kim was concerned and didn't know what kind of force she was delivering. She was afraid to find out how deadly her suit would be to an average person. "Hego?" He wasn't moving. "Shego I think he needs help!"

Shego came out again, a bit more pleased with Kim's performance but extremely disappointed in Hego's. "The idiot's fine. Hego get up!" Shego came out, approaching her brother.

Hego was panting. He hardly did anything, this was anxiety. He was easily defeated and it hurt him. All of his enemies were always overzealous about their attacks, almost always dictating what they were going to do. A fight with Kim was new ground for him. "I-I couldn't do anything. What am I supposed to do if I can't see her? She cheated."

Shego looked ready to have a meltdown. It wasn't that Hego was upset he lost, it wasn't that his pride was hurt. She didn't care. She thought it was necessary to take his ego down a few pegs. It wasn't even the fact he lost so easily. _Cheated. CHEATED!?_ "CHEATED!? LOOK AT ME!" His eyes drifted from the floor to meet his sister's. "I FUCKING DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!" Shego growled.

"Shego." Kim called out calmly, finally seeing this was not the Shego that she knew, but Shego remained focused on her brother, ready to unleash a fury he's not seen before. "SHEGO!"

"WHAT!?" Her heart was in her ears. _That fucking asshole is going to get us all killed. He's too stupid I can't use him. He's USELESS!_

Kim remained calm, upset, but calm. "Train him."

"He's USELESS!" Shego wanted to cry. Her plans were going to be much harder to execute without Hego's help. She felt defeated like her months of continuous planning went in vain.

Kim shut off her suit, jostled slightly, and took off her helmet, "Show him, Shego. Show him how it's done. He doesn't have any training, you can't expect him to just adapt like we do. You got what you wanted, he's down, now it's time to bring him up again."

Shego was breathing heavily, "How can he not know?" She turned to him, "How can you not know anyone will do anything to have an advantage in _war_!? People die if you don't."

"Shego-"

"No! He carries himself as an unbeatable superhero for the ultimate good, fighting villains who attack with giant motherfucking birds and mind-fucking machinery! He dares to call _this_ cheating!"

Kim's voice was soft, pleading with her, "Shego, he _doesn't_ know. Those enemies…, Shego those enemies never intend to kill, at least not directly. He doesn't know."

"Fine." Shego swallowed her emotions once more, walked over to the target, and grabbed the canister again, "I'm your first target, don't you dare hold back, I'm wearing a suit too. Hego, get up and go to the control room. Let me know when she's in position. I want you to pay attention to everything I do. It can save your life," she paused, "You better make it worth saving."

Kim walked off without a word and put her helmet back on. Hego headed to the control room, silent as well, but obeyed her like a child to a mother. When Kim was ready. "Sh-she's there."

"Say the word, Hego," Shego demanded.

Hego's voice lacked any vigor, "Go."

Kim dashed but so did Shego. Shego wasn't searching for Kim, she was hiding from her; planning. Shego had the upper hand, knowing the training room, its walls, pathways. Kim wasn't completely in the dark now and she knew Shego would move, after all, a thief meant stealth. Kim needed to hunt and that's what she intended to do. Even though Kim was cloaked, she stayed close to walls, surveyed her next cover, and went for it as silently as she could. Shego crept the same way, listening for any footsteps, looking for any blurs, a floating canister half.

Shego spotted her, or rather the floating canister, but she wasn't sure which way she was facing and didn't want to risk being spotted herself. She waited. Kim rounded a corner and Shego moved to follow, but she went down another hallway expecting Kim to enter. As soon as Kim entered, Shego threw a barrage of green plasma. Kim reacted instantly, diverting power to her forearms and crouch-blocking the attack in the air and flipping away. By the time Kim recovered, Shego disappeared.

A few more rounds of hide and seek until Kim discovered where Shego was disappearing to. Kim quickly spun a kick into Shego's abdomen but she deflected the fraction of a second visible foot. Kim was no longer cloaked. A barrage of exchanged fists as they started fighting on a narrow ledge, both tried to knock the other off. And then Kim noticed Shego didn't have her half of the canister, "Son of a bitch."

Shego smirked. For a brief moment, it felt like old times, "Was wondering when you'd catch on."

Kim dashed away, scouring for the other half. Knowing Shego, she'd put it far away and lead Kim far away from it. And that could only mean it was where she started. She went back to the start position and there it was just outside of that red square. _It has to be a trap. Shego can't be far behind._ As soon as she fully stepped into the room, flying disks came at her. _Obviously a trap._ She caught one and tossed it at the canister as a flurry of green came from behind. Immediately after the canister was knocked away, four walls shot up. Kim smiled at herself, the only problem now was Shego. Kim ran to a wall and waited for Shego to near. Another flurry of green concentrated on one entry, the other left open. _Scenario one,_ _Shego comes through the open area; scenario two, it's a trick to make me go the most unsafe way; or scenario three, it doesn't matter, Shego is too smart not to cover both exits. Only option, dash and cloak._ Kim diverted the power to her feet and used the shield to propel herself out of the safe exit and quickly cloaked.

Shego noticed the blur and quickly reacted,throwing green death in Kim's general path, but none hit. Shego went to throw her plasma at the canister, but it was already taken by Kim. Shego navigated to the final target as quickly as she knew how. Kim was visible to make herself faster. Shego caught up to her and threw a blast at Kim's feet as the canister was thrown at the hole.

Horror was shown on Shego's face as she watched Kim fall and tumble like a ragdoll. "Kim!" She ran and skidded to her side in a panic. She crouched over her, "Kim? Kimmie? Kim, are you okay? Are you okay? Kim I-I can't see your face, Kim?"

"She-"

Tears were streaming down Shego's face, "Kim? Kim!?"

"Shego, I'm fine." She spoke quickly to get her words in, "I'm fine, Shego, I'm okay!" Kim quickly disengaged the suit, bracing for the heavy feeling she felt last time. She took off her helmet, "Shego, Shego, I'm fine." Kim wrapped her arms around Shego who was reduced to sobbing on her shoulder. "Everything is fine."

Shego whispered through her sobs, "It's not, it's not, it's not, this world is shit!"

"We're going to make it better."

"It'll still be shit. It'll always be shit." She gasped and gulped her cries.

Kim held her tight while Hego walked towards them cautiously. Hego frowned with concern as he had never seen Shego break down like this before. He watched her tremble in Kim's arms and was utterly baffled why. She's fought Kim with more force than this before and it baffled him that she'd have this much worry now. He stepped closer and tried to speak.

Shego gasped to his approach and turned to him with piercing eyes, "WHAT!?" She scowled at him. He was speechless and didn't know what to do. That scowl quickly broke down and she returned to sobbing into Kim's chest.

Kim looked up to Hego with pleading eyes, "Hego, we need some time alone for a minute. Do you mind heading up and getting us lunch? We'll meet you up there soon, okay?"

"O-okay, sure." Hego was crushed, he couldn't fight, he couldn't help, and he didn't understand what made Shego break down. He walked off, depressed and worried.

When Hego left the room, she allowed time for Shego to cry. Shego eventually calmed and Kim tried to remind her what it meant to train, "Shego," she spoke softly, "we're training. It means we're allowed to fail, to learn from it." She stroked Shego's hair. Shego nodded without a word. "Shego, we can do this. You said we have time." Shego nodded again. "Good," she continued to stroke Shego's hair as she was slowly regaining control. "Shego?" Kim did have one request, "Shego, I want you to apologize to Hego."

Shego took a breath and looked at Kim, appalled at the plea, "What? Why would I do that?"

"Because you used me to beat him down and break his spirit. And you made me do it twice."

"He needed-"

"Maybe, but you berated him, called him 'useless', told him he was going to get us killed."

"But he wi-"

"You kicked him when he was already down. You're leading this, your job is to make him better. I get it. He didn't know any better. He _should_ have, I know, but the fact is, he didn't. We just gave him a very rude awakening. I want you to apologize. What do you think is going through his head right now?"

Shego closed her eyes at the guilt settling in. She sniffed hard, "Fine." She looked at Kim who was still in the ground and visions of death flooded her mind. Her face cringed and she felt the urge to cry again, "Not now."

Kim drew her back into a hug, "When we're ready." Kim didn't know exactly what was going through Shego's mind but she knew enough that something had traumatized her.

~oO0Oo~

Kim nudged Shego into the kitchen where Hego was preparing sandwiches, "Go on," she whispered. Hego turned around and faced his sister and nervously swallowed.

Shego tried to force out some noise, "Erm Smrry."

"Um, what was that?" Hego truly didn't catch it.

Shego took a deep breath, "I'm… sorry."

Hego dropped the plate he was holding along with the sandwich that was on it and scrambled to clean it up, "Oh! Uh, just a s-".

"Fuck this!" Shego turned to exit, but Kim grabbed her arm and threw her back into the kitchen. "Kim, I can't do this."

"Yes you can. Now do it."

Shego took a long, angry breath, "HEEEGO, you are NOT useless. I was angry and frustrated and I did not consider how you might need… _encouragement_ and instead, I vented my frustrations in-arrggh-proprietly." Shego clenched her fists tightly, "I'm sorry and I know- Kim are you sure about this?"

"Yes, come on!" she stamped her foot.

"HUGGH! I know we can work together again." Shego stood there silent for a moment, waiting for a reaction from Hego. "Well?" She folded her arms.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. I mean..., I really don't know what to say." Shego lit up her hands. "Thank you! It's 'Thank you'" Kim looked at him sternly, "I'm sorry too, for… for…" Kim put on her helmet. "FOR-FOR! not listening to you or trusting you. I'm sorry for calling a smart advantage cheating!"

Kim took off her helmet, "Thank y-"

Hego put up his hand to stop Kim. He took a step towards Shego and looked at her with furrowed brows and a saddened frown, "I'm sorry for chasing you away." Tears welled up, "I'm really sorry. I couldn't have been more wrong to do something that… evil. I'm sorry, Shego." Hego spent the time Shego took to recuperate by reflecting on the past. He finally saw the true resentment she had for him and not just some escalated version of sibling rivalry.

Shego didn't know how to handle his apology. It was so sudden. And years of taking care of the family after their parents died to then be thrown out, unacceptable. And then suddenly fixed with a few words; a sincere apology. How could that make up for the years of isolation? It didn't but it was a good start. Shego tried to maintain her stern look, looking away in one direction, then another, but his sorrowful face made her brows furrow in the same way. Tears began to fall and she was shocked to feel compelled to hug him. She did, tightly, "You are such an asshole, Hego. Just an asshole!"

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Such a fucking prick!"

"I'm sorry."

"It _really_ hurt. It hurt _so_ much, Hego! I cried every day until I just couldn't anymore. You guys were my everything!" She was sobbing again and hitting his shoulder as he began to cry into hers.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry!"

Shego broke from the hug and in a fit of overwhelming emotions, slapped him across the face. She chuckled a bit through her sobs knowing it hadn't really hurt him, "Sorry." She hugged him again. Shego took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, "Are you going to let me back into your life?"

He nodded.

"You're going to listen to me seriously?"

"Yes, I promise."

Shego pushed away from the hug, "Good. But don't think this resolves everything," she pointed a finger at his face, "You could have realized this a _lot_ sooner, Hego."

"I know," his voice softened more, "Really."

"Alright," Shego took a long breath and wiped the remaining tears away. She stood still a moment and thought about her next move. Maybe Hego won't be as useless as she thought. And now with his attention finally caught, he'll listen to her. Shego looked into his eyes, "Get Mego, we need to talk."

Hego sniffed and rubbed his eyes, "Not Wego?"

"No, not for this, they're too young. I need you guys to understand why," she sighed, "why I'm falling apart. Wego might be able to help with training, but that's it."

Hego exited to get his brother.

When he was out of earshot, "You haven't told them?" Kim asked, having sat at the kitchen table, allowing them to have their moment without interruption.

"I told them GJ is corrupt and they're after you, that's it, they know a little." Shego's voice was hoarse and still had a lump in her throat. "I'm just offering clarity to them, everything else is on a need-to-know basis."

"Alright."

"You don't have to be here when I tell them. I don't want to- I don't want you to-"

"It's okay. I'll keep Wego company."

"Thanks."

Hego showed up with Mego as Kim was leaving with a sandwich, "Thanks for the sandwich, Hego."

"Uh, sure." He watched her walk down the hallway.

Shego saw their concern, "She's fine guys, come sit, we need to talk." When they sat down with her, she continued, "I need your help."

Mego raised a brow, "We were already onboard, we've got Kim's family and we're-"

"No Mego, I mean on missions. You could die, or worse."

He shook his head, "Or worse? What are you not telling us?"

Shego took out her Kimmunicator and brought up a file on the Belize facility. "GJ isn't just corrupt, it's completely sick, it's disgusting." She made sure either of them couldn't see the screen by leaning back device only towards her.. "Before you look at this, it's only fair I tell you, this will haunt you. It's worse than you can imagine. And if you look at this, there's no going back. I can find someone else, so decide now if you really want to help."

Hego looked at his brother and back to her, "I owe it to you, after everything I've done, I'll do it, Shego."

"I'm not backing out. I'm sure I'll regret it but you've never asked us of anything until now. I owe it to you, too."

Shego took a deep breath, "This was a facility in Belize. It was contracted by GJ and labeled as a private prison. In reality, it was a sick, fantasy fun house for a billionaire who enjoyed mutilating children." Shego swiped to the next image, both brothers went white and nearly puked at the sight, "These were a group of children, a small group out of hundreds of victims. Keeping it going was a contract that profited GJ in the billions overall. This was one of nine facilities."

"Why… do you know this?"

Shego swiped to another image of the facility, "Because it was Kim that was sent there to be another victim by Dr. Betty Director herself." She swiped to the next image, "And this is what happens when you back Kim into a corner."

Mego jumped from his chair, "How!? By herself!? How!?" Mego was sickened, not believing the nightmarish reality of the situation. Hego was just as repulsed.

Shego glared at them, "It doesn't matter how! She improvised, she found a way."

Hego shuddered and whispered, "She's a-"

"Don't you fucking dare say she's a monster. She's better than all of us!"

Hego feared the furious expression Shego wore. It wasn't easy for her to see these images any more than either of them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, it's just so unbelievable." Hego almost said 'unnatural'.

Shego pushed back some loose strands of hair that fell to her cheeks and wiped a building tear away, "I know I said there was no going back before, but this is your last chance to back out now. That one eyed cunt wants Kimmie dead and anyone involved is either leverage or in the way. She'll do anything to get an advantage. Do you understand? She's currently researching how to defend against my glow. She's still pursuing, still planning to get rid of her and me."

Mego wiped a hand over his face, "What's stopping her now?"

"Just me and my intel for all that she knows. So, are you in or out?"

Hego and Mego were speechless and seriously considering backing out. But they realized if they did nothing, these atrocities would continue. Mego swallowed hard, "Shego, I'll help."

"Hego?"

He was worried, "We have contracts with Global Justice. What do we do with them?"

"Keep them, renew them, continue as normal. Any change will be suspect. Hego, don't fuck this up. I swear, if you let on-"

Hego stopped her, "I'll help, just tell me what to do."

"Stay on routine, if GJ wants something, give it to them. Nothing changes. If Betty talks to you, answer as you normally would. For now we train. I have plans."

"Okay. When do we start training? What do you want us to do?" Mego couldn't digest the information fully and just went on to follow whatever his sister wanted.

"After I eat, we can start. Hego, can you try again? We'll get you and Mego up to speed. I'll be… more understanding."

Still wrapping around everything, he hesitated briefly before answering, "I can. I'll do anything to stop… to stop _that_."

"I need both of you to understand, whatever I say, you follow. Whatever _Kim_ says, you follow. We are in a terrible situation and I can't have resistance."

Mego spoke up again, "Sis, we get the seriousness of it all but I just don't understand why Kim was ever on GJ's shitlist? How is Kim coping with this? How did you two even… Look, I'm sorry, it's just one minute I'm thinking Kim is this innocent crime fighter that wants to do good and the next you reappear with Kim's family saying she and everyone she loves has a target on her back. W-we've never dealt with anything like this. Shego, are we going to get in the way?"

Shego gave a frustrated nod, "Right, look, I'm not going to break down every detail, but here's the gist of it. Crime makes money. Guys like Hench, Dr. D., and even that senile idiot Senor Senior Senior make GJ money. Lots of it. Kim did something for me, something I never asked for. She put a permanent stop to all her enemies so we couldn't be bothered on a vacation she put together. GJ lost buyers of tech, weapons, and mercenaries. Took a giant hit financially."

"Kim defeats those guys all the time, how is this different."

"Kim, with that blonde buffoon, fight them irregularly. One goes down, another will plan, the first will recover, seek revenge, buy more of whatever they need. Rinse and repeat. Take them all out, no more cash flow."

"But they'll recover." Hego chimed in.

"A handful of villains pulled out of the game actually. DNAmy doesn't want to interfere any more. Monkeyfist can't use his hands. Senor Senior Senior was hospitalized. I don't even know what happened there. And Dr D., well, he's with us but Kim gave him a nasty concussion. I don't know about the others, but it was enough to get Kim hunted. That billionaire sick fuck, 'Satan's Teacher', bought Kim from GJ when they learned of Betty's situation. Kim was told it was a rescue mission."

Mego still had trouble processing this information, "This is just unreal. Unreal!"

"Hey! It happened! And it's more real than anyone wants! If… if it weren't for me, if I wasn't in Kim's life, she'd never have a target on her back. She'd be safe. She wouldn't have- It's not something I can change. I just need help, to make it right. I want her safe." Shego got quiet for a moment. No more to tell, nothing necessary.

"Sis, you can't blame yourself. Come on, you're smarter than that."

"Whatever," she dismissed, "where the hell are my sandwiches!?"

~oO0Oo~

Meanwhile, Kim was off looking for Wego. Instead, she found her own younger brothers were tinkering with some indiscernible machinery that Kim couldn't make out, "Hey guys, have you seen Wego?"

They both answered, "No."

Tim looked up, "What are you wearing?"

Kim looked at herself as if she wasn't already aware of the suit, "Wade made me a new super suit. I was training with it earlier."

"Cool!"

"Hey, can we-"

"-ask you a question?"

She put a hand on her hip, "You can't wear my suit tweebs."

"Why are we here?"

"Oh. I'm really sorry about that guys. It's all my fault." Kim looked down and was suddenly reminded of how her situation was impacting the lives of the people she cared about.

Jim nudged, "Come on Kim, what happened?"

Followed by Tim, "We're old enough. No one will tell us anything."

Kim felt her throat tighten, that vicious lump forming at the very thought of her brothers knowing the horrors she went through. "Guys, " she swallowed hard, "what I," her throat became dry, "what I saw, what I did, no one, no matter how old, should know exist. _It_ shouldn't exist. And, there are very powerful people after me now. And-" Kim began to choke up and her eyes began to well up at the sight of her confused brothers. The thought of them used as leverage. "They'll do anything, and I mean anything, to make sure-" she swallowed hard, tears flowed. "You guys are safe here, okay? Don't worry, Shego and I are going to take care of it. We're going to make everything right." She brought them into her arms hugged them both, "I love you guys."

While still unsure what to make of Kim's emotional explanation, they hugged her back. "Kim, we can help. We can-"

"No!" She pushed them back, "Please promise me you'll stay away from this. Promise me! Both of you!" Kim had a firm grip on their shoulders, her panicked voice, the expression on her face, "PROMISE!" She shrieked at both of them.

"W-we promise!" They both, for the first time, had been scared of their sister. Thoroughly confused and scared they decided not to press further.

"Good," she loosened her grip, "good. This is not something to mess around with guys. You have to listen to me. I want you safe."

Tim was too startled to speak, but Jim had to ask, "What about you?"

"I have to fight. But I have some pretty strong allies to help me. One of them can throw some nasty green glow." She forced a smile. "Right, Shego?"

"Ah!" Jim and Tim both yelped at Shego's quiet and sudden presence.

A quick laugh, "You ready for more training, Kim?"

"Sure," she turned to her brothers, "I gotta go. I don't want you two to go anywhere near that room I'm going, alright? It's very dangerous."

They both nodded and agreed to stay away.

~oO0Oo~

Back in the training room, Shego tried to get a better understanding of where her brothers were in terms of fighting, "Hego, do you remember _any_ of our martial arts training when we were kids?"

"I haven't practiced since… ," he coughed, his throat dried the more he saw his sister get agitated with every word he spoke, "since we got hit."

Shego gave a frustrated sigh, "Mego?"

"A-a little."

Her voice soured, "How little?"

"Like, I don't know, every now and then. We don't really have a need for it. Wego's kept up with it more than we have."

A frustrated sigh, "Great, the two guys I don't want involved, helpful."

"Shego," Kim nudged her, "I'll train them."

"We have time, we have time." Shego paused a moment, "Alright, Kim, can you get them started? I need to train you at Dr. D's, but I need to tell them how to set it up." Shego didn't even want to think about it. After how she saw Kim tumble she wasn't sure she could watch that again. She needed time away.

"Um, yeah. Do you…" she spoke a little softer, "Do you have clothes here? I don't need the suit for this and you know I don't have anything else."

"Yeah…, yeah, um, eleventh floor, there should be something there. It'll be obvious which room is mine."

"I'll be right back then." Kim quickly walked off.

"You two, you listen to everything she says and I mean _everything._ If she doesn't kill you with training, then she just saved your lives. I gotta go, I'll be in the library, don't bother me."

"Um, okay." They both replied to her abrupt instruction.

After about ten minutes, Kim came back in a black t-shirt, black sweatpants, black socks, and would be black shoes had they fit. She wore her suit's shoes instead. "Alright guys, I'm back." Hego and Mego were snickering at the outfit, remembering Shego's melodrama during her early teens. "HEY! KNOCK IT OFF!" They both fell in line to Kim's command, not expecting her to snap like that. She calmed, "I need to see how well both of hold up _without_ your powers. Hego, you're first, I want you to do your absolute best to hit me." She placed her hands behind her back.

"O-okay." Hego got into a stance and lunged toward her. He tried to punch furiously, desperately trying to make contact, but only hitting air as Kim weaved around each would-be blow.

"Alright Hego, that's fine." He nodded and stepped aside. "Mego, go ahead, same thing." Mego showed a bit more grace, coming down with fluid kicks and punches, but like Hego, the wind was the only thing punished. "Alright, Hego," still dodging blows, "jump in, help your brother."

Hego came in and tried hopelessly to throw Kim off. He just could not make contact. The brothers nodded at each other and tried to use teamwork. Hego swung his brother in a fast arc, then he tried attacking low while Mego went high. Kim smirked as they continued to fail to even graze her.

"I'm going to fight back, so be prepared to block. Ready?"

Simultaneously, "Ready!"

Kim started with simple palm strikes. Mego managed to dodge or deflect, but Hego just endured. He stumbled as the attacks were not strong, but they weren't meant to be. The constant nudges started irritating Hero. "Come on Hego, block or deflect!"

"I ca- ugh! I can't!"

"Try! Push yourself!"

"Argh! I can't! Why do I need to deflect or block if I can do THIS!" He enabled his glow when Kim was in mid-strike, but she was egging him on and was prepared. She immediately slid under his legs and pulled down his pants. He immediately lost his concentration and stopped his powers. Kim quickly kicked his knees in and shoved him forward from behind, forcing him to land on his face.

"That's why."

Mego gave a descending whistle to his brother, impressed by how Kim took him down when he used his glow. "You okay, big guy?"

Hego was out of breath, huffing, angry. "You have to make me a fool three times? Twice in front of Shego, now my brother? If I'm so useless why do you need me? Comic relief!?" He pulled up his pants and started walking out.

"Where are you going Hego?" He just just waved her off. "Damn it, is he really that thick?"

"'Fraid so." Mego replied.

Kim ran up to him, "Hey, stop, you need to listen to what I have to say."

"Is this how you train!? Just highlighting how useless I am?"

"Oh Hego, you big idiot. I told you, I needed to see what level you guys are on. I'm not just testing for skill. I'm looking at your temperament and focus. I egged you on, I'm sorry, but I needed to know to give you better guidance. Please, don't give up on this, we need you. We really need you."

"You didn't egg on Mego. You singled me out!"

"Oh, I didn't!? Just look at his face!" Hego glanced up and saw one side of Mego's face was a deep red. A bit of shock appeared on his own. "I stopped because I didn't really want to hurt him. I don't want to hurt you either. But it's going to hurt. A lot." She took a breath, "Everybody fails, even me. Shego is scared of that, she won't allow it. So we're going to push you hard, harder than you ever have before, so you can succeed. And trust me, it's going to suck. It's worth it though. I can guarantee it. Please." Kim stared at him with pleading eyes, borderline pouting.

Hego sighed deeply, "You think I can improve? You think I can help?"

"Yes Hego, I do. And I really mean that."

"Okay, I'll try."

"Good." They walked back to Mego. "Mego, I'm not sure what you're afraid of, but you almost made me block a few of those punches. What happened?"

He began rubbing his neck nervously, "To tell you the truth, I'm a little scared of you. I shrink and dodge and let Hego here take the hits. I'm more like back up and surveillance."

"It's okay to be scared, but hesitation is unacceptable. Be confident in every strike; that means, plan each attack like your life depends on it. I know that's easier said than done." She grimaced at Mego's face, still darkening, "And um, sorry about the…" she nervously waved a finger at her face referring to his.

He shrugged, "I knew what I was getting into, Kim, it's fine."

"I'm sorry for it anyway. Which is another point I want to bring up. I'm going to hurt you, both of you, it's nothing personal. I'm doing it to expose your flaws. Learn from them and adapt. And with your powers, I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot too." Both brothers nodded, accepting their oncoming pain train. "Alright, Hego. What happened?"

"You're too fas-," he stopped to correct himself, " I'm too slow. I got angry. I can't predict what you're going to do next."

"Good. But wrong. The problem isn't speed. Hego. You looked directly where you were going to hit and never looked where _I_ was going to hit. You weren't observing me but I was observing you. It's not just where you look, it's how your body moves. You need to be fluid. But yes, you got angry and it got the better of you." Hego looked down, ashamed. "Here's what we're gonna do, I'm going to show you a few things and you're going to practice the hell out of it. But, not the same thing. Mego, you'll be practicing more escape maneuvers. Hego, I think western style martial arts will work better for you."

Kim taught them several forms and eventually paired them to spar against each other. Scolding them where they went wrong and congratulating them where they went right. This went on for hours before Shego showed up. "Kim, I need to talk with you."

"Alright, guys don't stop. Keep it up." Kim followed Shego to the control room.

~oO0Oo~

Shego watched her brothers fight each other through the monitors. She saw their sluggish movement, sweat wetting their clothes. Their form was amateur at best. She couldn't help wondering how they were ever super heroes. "Kim, tell me the truth, do they even stand a chance? Do you see a point to this?"

Kim understood the seriousness of the situation. "That all depends. You said we have time. If we have time, then it's worth it. But if that's changed, then time could be better spent getting ready for the worst. So, do we have time?"

Shego stood there silent, just watching her brothers duke it out, getting slower and slower. It bothered her. They were so far away from where she needed them to be. "We have time," she said quietly. "Drakken's lair is reworking the training room. I need to do the same here, can you work it into their training?"

"Anything's possible." She smirked, but it deflated quickly. "Tell me what you know."

Shego sighed heavily, "They're… they're building armored suits. They don't have anything working yet, but it's more than just to get me. They're- what they're intending to do, what they're planning for; it's to stop us, all of us."

"Then I'll make them stronger."

"Can you?" Shego looked at Kim with fear in her eyes.

"I'll make it happen." She paused, "Is that all?"

"For now."

"I'm heading back out then." When she met with Shego's brothers again she watched them a bit, seeing if they hit their limit yet. They were close, but not yet. "Alright, take twenty, get hydrated and come back." They fell to the ground huffing.

"She's going to kill us."

"She's definitely going to kill us."

"Enjoy this break while it lasts, we're far from done."

~oO0Oo~

"Hego, Mego, I need to ask you something personal. It's about your glow."

Both of them were still huffing heavily, drinking a lot of water, "Ye-yeah? What do you want to know?" Mego asked.

"I need to know if you can push it further, like Shego can."

Overhearing Kim as Shego was leaving the room, "Hey! Only you know about that Princess!"

Kim was surprised she wouldn't have let her own brothers know about her glow, "You didn't tell them?"

"Tell us what?"

Shego scowled agin, "Nothing!"

Kim approached Shego closer and mouthed the words 'Fine. But they should know,' to Shego. "Shego can make her hands even hotter."

"Damn it, Kim!" Shego mouthed the words, 'I'll tell them later' back.

"Why didn't you want to tell us, Sis?"

"Because I don't need to. The less everyone knows, the more dangerous I am. Less chance of this information getting leaked, so keep your traps shut!"

"I wouldn't dare say anything!"

"Alright, alright, guys, back to the glow, can you push it further?"

Hego felt strange, like this should have been something obvious to even him, "I've never really tried. I just, I never thought I needed to."

"Yeah, I mean, especially with mine, what more can I do? Get smaller?"

Kim contemplated, "I don't have an answer, except maybe for Hego since I had his glow for a short while. It was such a surreal feeling when I had it. I kept wanting to flex harder and harder. I felt like my resistance could have been greater. I don't know, I was still learning it. But Mego, maybe you can get bigger? I just know when you get smaller, you weigh the same, like you just compressed proportionately. Honestly the physics behind it makes my head spin, but worth a try."

They both shrugged. Mego attempted to go smaller while Hego tried to create a bigger shield around his body. There hadn't been much change from the usual and it seemed they were tapping into their glow like it was just an on and off switch. After several moments Hego concluded "Sorry, Kim, I don't think I can." Mego shrugged just the same.

Shego thought a moment and then tried to give them more encouragement, "Hego, it took me years. Just keep at it, for as long as you are able to push. You'll get stronger, you too Mego. It just takes… time." Shego was reluctant to give them any information of her achievements. She didn't lie but it certainly lacked any direction.

Kim added, "Since that's the case, after every training session, I want you to try to push the limits of your glow, as much as you can, until you can't take it. Time yourself, and see if you can exceed the previous day's time. Unless, Shego, you have a better way?" Kim suggestively nudged her.

Shego sighed and looked at her brothers a moment. Them trying to "push themselves" harder wasn't going to get them anywhere. The needed to look inward. They needed to recognize that their glow was a separate entity. She decided, "Both of you come here and sit." They did and sat on the floor with Shego. "Close your eyes."

"Um-"

"Just do it." _Just listen to me._ She relaxed and spoke with a sense of calm and sadness, "When… when we were young, I was angry. Furious. I hated that comet. I hated what we became. What it did to us, I'll never forget the pain. I wanted to punish it and snuff it out. I wanted to push it out of me. I focussed so intently and just… pushed… with everything that I had. And that's when I found it. The core to my power." Shego took a few breaths before continuing. She remembered the hatred she felt and tried to suppress. "I need you to understand something. This power we have, it's like a parasite but with a symbiotic relationship."

Hego uttered a confused sound, "Wha…"

"Just, don't worry about that, just focus on your glow, the color. It's like a light that you can't touch with anything except your mind. I want you to treat your glow as something you reach inside and touch."

They closed their eyes and both affirmed they were listening, "Okay."

"Don't talk, just listen." _Idiots._ "Reach out for it. Shape it into a sphere. Breathe deep and make it brighter. Breathe in and try to brighten it on your exhale. Make it so bright it's blinding. Breath deep, slow, then let it all out into that light. Make it bigger. Devote yourself to it. This is your glow, it's yours and no one else's."

A few moments and both Hego and Mego began to sweat. Their breathing was erratic at first causing Kim to show a little concern but Shego only encouraged her not to interrupt. After several minutes it looked as if they found it. Their breathing was in synchronous with each others. They began to glow an aura that did not waver. Just above the surface of their skin, their glow grew brighter. An almost white casing.

Shego saw it was time, "You have it. Now get up and release it!"

Hego got up first and was compelled to clap his hands together. A thundering boom rippled through the air. Kim was knocked back by the residual shockwave but was more surprised by the force than hurt by it.

Mego got up and just started running towards a stone wall, screaming, escalating in pitch. Shego actually worried as she had no idea what he was doing until he began to shrink to something smaller than the head of a pin and sharply went through it. The wall burst on his expansion and he tumbled on the ground to a stop.

Both of them lost their glow were left heaving and catching their breath. Hego had already collapsed to the floor.

Hego was dazed, "How did you- how did I...?" He, along with Mego were completely drained.

"Hego? You okay big guy?" Mego tried his best to inch his way to his brother, "You okay?" His concern was clear in his voice.

Shego tried to assure her brothers, "You need rest now. You guys did well but don't tell him I said that." Shego forced a smile. "Kim, can you help Mego, I'll take the dufus up to his room."

Kim was amazed by the power, "Oh…, right, yeah." She promptly walked over.

Mego saw Kim outstretch a hand to him, "W-why are we so tired?"

Shego answered dryly, "You expelled too much of your glow at once, it's not some infinite flame. Like you, I learned the hard way. It sucks. I suppose I could have warned you." _But what's the fun in that?_

With an exasperated breath, "Yeah." He tried to push himself closer to Kim but he wasn't going to make it. Kim sprinted forward to catch him.

With Mego in her arms, "They'll be okay?" Kim was looking over Mego's pale face.

"I promise they'll be fine." _I was._ Shego felt another tinge of anger at the memory. She was completely alone when she first release everything she had. No one looked for her. No one seemed to notice she was gone.

"Okay good. I think we should still check on them from time to time. How 'bout we sleep here tonight?"

Walking to the elevator with Hego on her back. His arms completely covering her sides. She almost looked like a turtle. She put him down in the corner with a grunt, "Damn he's heavy. Yeah alright, let me just clean up my room a bit. Probably hasn't been vacuumed since I left."

Kim smiled a little and joined her, "Luckily all your clothes were covered."

"Not a word about them, I got enough shit about it from these two idiots." Kim snickered.

~oO0Oo~

New sheets were put on Shego's bed and a quick run of a vacuum later, "So."

"So? What is it Kimmie?" Shego raised a confused brow.

Kim dragged her finger across the bed, "Have you ever," she nudged her head in the direction of the bed, "with another girl?"

Shego promptly rolled her eyes, "Four brothers, a monitored superhero tower, and I dressed in all black while angry all the time, what do _you_ think?"

"I would have made it happen."

"Oh would you?"

"Yup," a smug smile crossed her face.

"So you've had a girl in your bed?"

"Yup." Kim's smile was almost a grin.

Shego's face instantly dropped, "What?"

"Had some wild sex too. I told you before Shego, anything's possible when you're a Possible."

"Oh bullshit. You pursued this other girl when you were a _teen_?" Not believing a word.

"Yyyup," An extra, emphasized pop at the 'p'. Now she grinned wide at Shego who was not enjoying this conversation in the least.

Her brows furrowed, "Who?"

Kim chortled, "Bothers you that much, huh?"

Shego looked away, "I just thought- yes it bothers me. I went into your bed thinking it was just us, this pure essence of just you." Kim laughed a bit harder. "It's not funny!"

"Hey calm down. You want to know who it is."

Shego was sarcastic, "Someone I know?"

"Kinda."

Wide eyed now, "What the fuck Kim, who!?"

Kim laughed loudly, "You can be so stupid sometimes. I was sixteen when I was pursuing you. I was pursuing you AND figuring myself out. I really couldn't wait until the next thing you did. I was always a little bit harder on the other villains because of how angry I was when it wasn't you. I mean, sometimes, I really hated fighting you. I just wanted to sit down and talk, but other times, it was like we were on a date. Just, a really fast and painful date." She walked up closely to Shego, "You're my only girl, Shego. Always will be."

"Oh fuck you. Don't do that, I was crushed." Shego lightly pushed her away.

Kim threw her arms up, "What? You're crazy! You've had other relationships and I'm fine with it. It's in the past and nothing compares, I should hope, to what we have now."

"Fine, I'm the jealous type, okay? Just get in bed so I can hold you."

"Done and done." She smiled.

Shego curled up behind Kim as she usually does. "Hey. Thanks for training the untrainable."

"They're not that bad."

Shego buried her nose in Kim's hair and whispered, "Thank you for being in my life, Kim. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you." She hugged Kim tightly. "You just make everything… better. I can't emphasize that enough. You're perfect. You really are."

Kim was concerned by the emotional state Shego was suddenly in and a little bashful hearing so many compliments, "Shegooo…"

She sniffed, "Nuh uh, you're not allowed to say otherwise." Shego moved Kim's hair to expose her neck and she rested her lips on it for a moment before kissing. "I'm going to make everything good for you," she whispered next to her ear. Her breath tickled, causing Kim to shield her neck with her shoulder.

"Shego-"

"Nuh uh-"

"Shush, it's my turn." Kim rolled in place to face her. She smiled gently and gave a quick kiss. "I love you for so many reasons, Shego. You do so much for me. You don't owe me anything. I wish I could do more for you. I know you always say, I don't need to, that I shouldn't, but I want to. I want you happy. Ah!" Kim yelped happily as Shego gave her another tight squeeze.

"Ugh! I really regret not pursuing you first, and sooner!"

Kim snickered and whispered, "Jailbait."

Shego laughed, "Shuut UUuup! One year earlier would have been fine! We could have still dated, properly, even before that. We could have just- I wasted so much time without you. Uggghhhh! I love you so much!" She shook Kim in her hugging arms.

"AHH! Too tight! Too tight!"

"I don't care! You're adorable!"

"Haha, I can't breathe!"

"That's okay, I'm fine! Mmm, I love you!"

"Eee, I love you too, but…" Kim took a deep breath and blew a hard raspberry on Shego's throat.

"Ahhhhggg! Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Shego was kicking the bed wildly.

"Do you give up?" Kim took another breath and blew again.

"Mmmmmraaagghh! I give up!"

Kim had a devilish grin marking her face, "Good." Kim wrapped her arms around the woman and gave a quick warm squeeze. She started feeling the effects of the suit. Her muscles began to ache and she couldn't help flexing a few times.

She huffed a chuckle, "Starting to feel sore?"

"It's not too bad." Shego began massaging her with heat. "Huhhhmmmm yeah. I'm so glad you have this power and not Hego's."

"Haha, and what if I did?"

"Total deal breaker." Shego dropped her jaw immediately, stopped massaging, and glared at her. "I'M KIDDING! SHEGO, I LOVE YOU FOR YOU! I'm kidding."

"You better be!"

"Come on, more massage, baby needs her medicine."

"Hahaha, 'baby needs her medicine'? What's gotten into you."

"Hopefully it'll-"

"-be me. Yeah, I guess I walked right into that one. Not witty, Pumpkin." Kim pouted. "Oh you cute, adorable, devil bitch!"

"I love you. Don't ever doubt that Shego."

Shego started up her massage, "You either, Kim."

* * *

I tried to clean up a lot - it was a pretty big mess to begin with and I got a little lazy towards the end.

Next chapter is going to take some effort as well unfortunately.


	7. Chapter 7

Shego was getting breakfast ready while all who were training the day before were deeply sore. Hego and Mego were exceptionally hungry and light headed. They were so physically drained from the day before that they couldn't move from their beds. The overwhelming fatigue was something they have not faced since the comet hit.

Mr. Doctor Possible walked into the kitchen to a wonderful aroma. "MM MMM, THAT smells DE-licious. You look to be cooking a feast!"

Shego was preparing a high calorie, high protein meal for her brothers, and with their super powers, could eat a sizeable portion comparable to two small families. She heavily focussed on cooking several dishes at once and was mildly startled by his entrance.

Shego shifted into 'polite mode'. She slapped on a smile, no matter how uncomfortable and conflicting to her current mood, "Oh, hi, yeah my brothers-"

Kim's brothers walked in for the same reason as their father, "That smells-"

"-SO good!"

James turned to his sons, "Boys, Shego's cooking us breakfast! Everyone here is so hospitable!"

"N-no, these are for-" she was interrupted again.

He shook his head with pleading eyes, "We can't thank you enough." Despite being displaced to Go Tower, James had seen Shego in a slightly better light. He hadn't forgiven her for the things she'd done to his daughter but he saw no hostility. When he looked at her, he didn't see Shego 'the villain'. With this miscommunicated geniality, he only saw a stranger cooking breakfast. Perhaps it would be different if he saw her in her classic catsuit. But a light t-shirt, sweatpants, and a lack of green fire didn't exactly exude a sense of ferocity.

Shego forced a smile as hard as she could and spoke through gritted teeth, "Don't… mention it." Shego then saw Kim's father about to take a plate meant for Hego and quickly swatted his hand away with a spatula, "NO!"

"Y'OW!" He looked at her wide eyed. A tingle of fear sped his heart.

She laughed nervously, "I mean, heh heh, those are for Hego and Mego, yours are next eh heh heh." She forced that smile once more, "Why don't you and your family wait at the table and I'll bring it all out when it's ready," She sweetened her voice to the best of her ability, "Okay?" Her voice cracked at the last delivery.

"Uh, suuure. Come on, boys." He shuffled himself and his sons to the dinner table in the other room.

Shego fumed silently for a brief moment and curled her fingers in the air. When she finished up with every platter, she took two large dishes in each arm. She headed to Hego's room first and dropped off two of them, "Eat!" she commanded. She walked off and delivered the other two to Mego, "Eat!" She stormed off to her room to wake up Kim.

She was far more gentle with Kim, "Kimmie, wake up," and gently jostled her. She continued lightly stroking her arms as not to startle her.

Kim groaned, "Mmmnnn sore, massage me."

 _Don't do this to me, Pumpkin._ "No, not now, wake up."

Kim sat up slowly and within a few inches of Shego's face she attempted to pout. Kim was still very sleepy and kept her eyes closed.

"That's adorable, but I can tolerate that. Come on, wake up." Shego jostled her a little harder. Kim opened her eyes slowly while still holding that pout. Shego's heart immediately swelled. _Overpowered! Overpowered!_ She couldn't resist, _damn it, Princess!_ "Fine," she heated her hands and began to massage Kim's thighs. Kim flopped on the bed with a euphoric smile. "Kimmie, I need your help."

"Mmwhat?"

"What does your family eat for breakfast?"

"Huh?" She exhaled a tired voice, "Why are you cooking them breakfast?" She smothered her face in the pillow more.

"Your dad conned me."

Words faded in and out like a signal just out of range. Kim mumbled another, "Huh?" as she was falling right back to sleep.

Shego squeezed Kim's thighs a little harder, "Kimmie!" Kim groaned. "That's it, I'm getting those panties!"

"I'M UP!" Kim flung herself to a sitting-up position. _Wait, those aren't even here._ "Alright, fine, what?" Shego rubbed her eyes and tried to stay awake.

She craned her neck, "Food for your family, what do they want?"

Kim waved a dismissive hand, desperately wanting Shego to massage again, "Just make them pancakes or something," she slouched.

Shego rolled her eyes, "I think they're expecting something better."

"I don't know Shego, they're not picky," she whined. _Massage, massage, massage._

"Huuugghh, fine. Do they have any food allergies?"

"Nah. Massage?"

"I gotta cook."

"Kiss!" Shego smiled and leaned in. This she would happily allow without resistance. As soon as their lips pressed against each other, Kim took Shego's hands and slowly placed them on her thighs. Shego pulled away from her kiss and glared at that woman who smiled innocently back.

"You think you're so sneaky, don't you?"

"Are you going to massage me?" Kim didn't pout but she pleaded with her eyes and bit her lip.

Shego closed her eyes, defeated by Kim's adorable superpower, "Two minutes Pumpkin, then I have to be a short order cook for your family."

"I feel really sneaky then." Kim grinned and laid flat on her stomach.

Shego resumed her massage, "You know Pumpkin, I'm giving you a full body massage later today. You can't wait?"

"Mm-mm, no hmmm."

And after her two minutes, "Pumpkin?"

"Hmm?"

Shego leaned forward and kissed the nape of Kim's neck. "I gotta go. I'll bring back breakfast after I," she sighed, "cook for everyone else." She gave Kim one last kiss and started her way out and back to the kitchen. She heard Kim grunt disappointingly from the doorway, but continued onward.

~oO0Oo~

When Shego reached the kitchen, she was immediately greeted by Wego, "Hey sis," they said simultaneously.

 _Shit_. "Hey guys, might as well get your orders in. Whatcha want?" She squeezed her forehead with her fingertips. It wasn't that she was unhappy to see her brothers, it was that she felt obligated to feed them after having promised to feed everyone else. Another task she didn't need that morning.

Wego wanted to talk and start getting to know their long lost sister. It had been hard over the past couple months since she returned. She'd be in, give an instruction, check up on the security, and then out the door again. Wego tried talking with her but was given short sentences and awkward responses. Wego understood that Shego needed space but they were desperate. One of them spoke, "Tell you what," he spoke casually, "we'll help if," they both created a clone, "if you remember that Moroccan baked egg dish you made us for our birthday years ago." An innocent smile filled with charm trapped her.

She paused and huffed a little laugh, "I _kind of_ remember how to make it. Do we even have everything for it?" She went to the refrigerator and looked inside. She took her time scanning for all the items. Memories flooded her mind and nearly caused her eyes to mist. At the time, both Wegos were reluctant to even try the dish at first and were disappointed Shego hadn't made a traditional cake instead. But, upon their first bite they were overexcited with praise. Shego took a breath, "Son of a bitch, alright, go preheat the oven, get my seasonings, and get the skillets. How did you even remember it?"

"We'll never forget, Sis," Wego smiled a bit more to her agreement, "What do you need us to do?"

She looked around some cabinets and found chocolate, marshmallows, and bread. "Can you duplicate once more? Need you to help me make French toast s'mores for the Possibles."

"No prob." They duplicated again and Shego essentially had a staff in the kitchen.

Shego thought to herself out loud, "Now what should I make Kimmie? Maybe Tofu soup?" She directed her attention to her brothers again, "You guys have tofu anywhere?"

"Yeah down in the other kitchen. I'll get it." He duplicated yet again and sent one to the guest kitchen.

Shego tried to announce and moreover convince herself, "Alright, this'll be the first and last time I cook for everyone." Shego started cooking and a small smile appeared on her face as she danced around the copies of Wegos. She'd grab a dish and spin around a copy grabbing a whisk. She'd mix something and fetch a bowl only to step around another copy on their way to grab a plate. Then she noticed several of the copies took shy glances at her. It was clear they wanted to say something and Shego just wanted to get it out, "Guys, just ask. You couldn't be more obvious that you wanted to ask something. You might as well hold up a sign." She smiled at them, showing she wasn't really irritated.

"We just want to know, I mean-"

"How you've been…"

"You know…, what you've been up to-"

One whispered, "Besides crime."

Shego hung her head low and sighed slowly, "It's a long-"

"No, it's okay, I'm sorry I asked. I didn't mean-"

"First, don't interrupt," she pointed, "Second, let's keep this conversation to just two of you guys, my brain can't handle you finishing each other's sentences when there's six of you-"

"Hey, here's the tofu."

"Seven. Look I don't want this to burn, finish this part up and we'll throw it in the oven." They all did their part preparing ingredients, mixing, preparing, and Wego's dish went in the oven. Wego, copies and all, continued working on the French toast. Shego began the meal for Kim. She wouldn't allow help for this one. They had a few minutes to talk seriously as the food simmered. "I know what you're asking. And I'm sorry, you were too young to understand, and I didn't want you caught up in the mess between me and your older brothers. But, I'm back an- Flip it, flip it, flip it!"

"Ah! Sorry!"

"Guys, we can talk about this with less distractions later."

"Okay." They all said in unison albeit a bit disappointingly.

Shego assured them, "We'll sit down later today, okay?" Shego pulled out their baked egg dish, "Guys, breakfast. Take the rest out to Kim's family and eat with them. I'm going to take Kim's dish to her."

"You aren't gonna eat with us?" They almost begged her to.

She saw their dismay but she needed more time, "Kim needs me. I need… her."

~oO0Oo~

She walked out of the kitchen with the soup on a breakfast-in-bed tray. As she walked to her room, she tried to imagine Kim's overly positive reaction to make herself feel better. She imagined Kim smiling sleepily to the scent, complimenting her on her cooking, moaning at the flavor; Shego smiled at the thought. She imagined Kim wanting a kiss after the meal, and then frowned. _Kimchi, this was a mistake. Maybe if I eat some, I won't notice._ Her frown deepened. _It's gonna be gross._ She walked into her room still frowning.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You look really upset."

"Oh, that. Just my stupid brain. Don't worry about it. Sit up, eat."

"Smells good." She looked at Shego inquisitively, "Come on, what is it?"

Shego sighed. She knew if she didn't say something, Kim would annoy her with questions until she told the truth anyway. "...I… don't want you to kiss me after eating this." She waited for a reaction.

Kim stared at her, then snorted, "Seriously, that's what was bothering you?"

"It's kimchi, _my_ kimchi. Well, I'm guessing Mego's since he's the one that made it. Turns your breath into a deadly weapon. Just eat." Kim smirked at her and began eating. She closed her eyes as the flavors filled her palate. She shook her head slowly in disbelief and continued eating. Shego smiled at her, "How's the pain?"

Kim swallowed, "Not bad at all. I'm a little sore, but this is nothing. We doing more training today?"

"Maybe. Might be just you and me, without the suit."

Kim gave an audible confirmation but did not press further. She'd rather not talk about training, school, or anything unrelated to enjoying the meal in front of her and the company of Shego.

Kim ate in silence while Shego tidied up the room a little. She gave glances at Kim and just enjoyed the joyful hums she gave with each spoonful. Shego day in the bed next to her, careful not to shake the mattress. Shego thought to bring out an old book but opted to simply relax next to Kim.

Kim was finishing her final servings, "What'd you end up making for my family?"

"Wego actually came in and helped out. Technically, he fed them. Guess I have to thank him later." She grunted, "I'm not a cook for your family Kim, I'm just making sure _you_ eat right."

"And what _did_ they eat?"

"French toast s'mores."

Kim stared at Shego, almost drooling. A complete conflict with the current taste in her mouth, but her brain acknowledged the obvious and extreme deliciousness of the food. "Can you make me some?"

"I'll put it right on top of the kimchi, Kim."

"Ugh, you know what I mean!"

"Sure Pumpkin."

"Actually..." Kim grinned slyly, "how about-"

"Hey, that's _my_ look, Kimmie! You're gonna owe me royalties if you keep using it."

Kim chuckled through her nose, "I want to eat it off of you."

"Not to burst your bubble but eating food off of someone isn't as exciting as it sounds."

"You haven't tried it with _me_."

"Alright, just don't be disappointed if it doesn't go your way."

Kim chuckled again, more devious now. It caused Shego to raise a brow. She chuckled more maniacally. "I'll eat all of you."

"You're not allowed to bite me, Pumpkin!"

Kim glared, "Hmm, I'll still make it work. Besides, you liked it." Shego only grunted. "You did."

She mumbled, "A little."

"HA!" A bit of food came out of her mouth and back into the bowl.

"Don't get carried away, it was also really painful, did not like that."

"Aww, you're my little cute, cuddly, precious kitten." Shego lit up her hands. "Cuddly kitten with claws, got it." Kim rolled her eyes. She watched Shego get up, "Hey, where are you going? I was just kidding!"

"Huh? I'm just getting oil."

"Oh." Kim just realized it was for her massage, "OhhHHhh." Shego came back, placed her breakfast aside, and handed her a pack of gum. "Is it really that bad?"

"Deadly, Kim." Kim rolled her eyes again, and took two pieces of gum. "More." Kim took another while Shego suggested yet another. Kim took one last piece and shoved the pack away. "Clothes off." And in a heartbeat, Kim's clothes were gone. Kim let out a soft moan. "I haven't even started yet!"

Kim's gum-stuffed mouth could only manage a couple words, "Jush antishapating." Kim could feel the heat coming off of Shego's hands before they could touch and her back tensed with a shiver. Shego teased her, allowing only the radiating heat to grace her back and sides. "Come-" Kim coughed from salivating so much. The numerous pieces of gum was overkill. "Come on. I'm shpitting thish out. Bleh!" And out went the gum in the bedside trash can.

"We both know what this will turn into." Shego suggested.

"Maybe. I think I have more self-control than you."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You tell me. Maybe someone wants to let me handle the remote for a day?"

Shego swallowed hard. "We-we don't have time." She cleared her throat, "Massaging now."

"Uh huh, ooOOoo hmm. Nice… save." Shego's oily hands danced across her back and arms. A thought presented itself, "You didn't eat, did you?"

"I'll eat after."

"Sheeego."

"After."

"Are you sure? I don't mind."

"Yes. Stop. Enjoy."

"I'm treating you to something, then."

"No. Shush. _Enjoy!"_

"Come on. You never let me treat you to anything."

Shego stopped her massage, "How many times do I have to tell you? Hm? I love you. You do nothing but treat me. You have single handedly repaired my family after seeing them on just two occasions. It's been like… like… ten years! Kim, ten years I didn't have a family and you make it all better! You've given me so much fun on our little vacation. And god, even before that you're just amazing. You never stop being good to me." Shego tightly wrapped her arms around Kim from behind, laying her body on hers, and spoke quietly. "Please don't say you don't treat me." She kissed her head, "You never stop. I love it. I love you. I told you, you are literally perfect."

"I just don't want you to think you're _not_ perfect, because you _are_. I don't want you to think you owe me."

"Oh, but I do, Kim. But I'm happy to. I am. You are not an obligation, just, I _want_ to catch up."

"I do things because I love you. Not to put you in debt. I don't expect something in return."

"You never do, for anyone, and I never thought that. Can't I just pamper you when I can? Can't I just adore you without you thinking I'm doing too much? I'm not, Pumpkin. I can and _should_ do so much more." She dragged heated hands down Kim's sides causing her to shudder and moan in ecstasy. Shego sat up and resumed her massage. "Now… just enjoy."

Kim flopped her face into the mattress, moaned, and muffled her agreement, "'KAY!"

Shego smiled and continued caressing every sore muscle Kim had, continued applying heat for every knot found, and continued lewdly glaring at her. Her massage was indeed helpful, therapeutic even, but also teasingly wanton. The gluteus medius deserved proper massage, but those fingers often danced their ballet over the maximus more often than it required. And those pesky serratus anteriors might have forced fingers to graze something other than muscle on more than just a few innocent and accidental occasions. Although, there wasn't even an attempt to hide the 'accidents' when massaging the gracilis. After the first hour, it was time to flip. Kim turned lazily with an accusing smirk. Shego laughed, "Don't worry Pumpkin, I'll take care of you." Kim closed her eyes and relaxed with a blissful smile. She put her arms behind her head and chuckled a bit. Shego was sure she wasn't tickling her, so it was peculiar that Kim was laughing, "What's funny?"

"It's nothing, I just feel a little silly. I don't know how I look."

Shego hummed, "Well, it's understandable, you _look_ silly."

Kim half-heartedly protested, "Hey."

"But beautiful just the same."

"Am I going to get a massage every time I'm sore?"

"Not when you're lying."

"I wouldn't." Shego snorted. "Okay, I would but I'd make it obvious."

"I'll massage you Pumpkin, whenever I can, so long as it makes you happy."

"I'd ask you not to trouble yourself if you weren't so damn good at this."

"If only you knew I was still holding back." Shego mock gasped, "I've already said too much, now I must kill you." She attacked her with her tongue across her inner thigh and massaging her ribs with heat. Kim gasped. "Death by climax." She giggled at Shego's playfulness. "You are a strong one, I must try harder!" Kim moaned a small scream. "I'm sorry my love, but my secret cannot be passed on!" Kim moaned harder at Shego's attack. Shego worked her magic and threw a flurry of attacks until Kim could take no more.

Kim released panting breaths, "I am… dead!" She turned her head to the side and hung her tongue out.

"Ahh! My love! I've killed you!" Kim laughed at the melodrama. "My love, I can breathe life back into if only you promise to keep my secret."

Kim laughs again and lifts her head for a moment, "I promise!" Her head flops to the side again.

Shego lifted her head and kissed her with desire, but was unfortunately short lived as Kim let out a very tiny burp beyond her control, "HUGGGHH! REGRET!" Shego's face twisted and skewed as she mocked throwing up.

"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, IT JUST CAME OUT! I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE!"

"I TOLD YOU IT WAS DEADLY!"

"SORRRRY!"

"I AM DEAD!"

"I CAN BREATHE LIFE INTO YOU!"

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

"LET ME TRY!"

"NO!" Kim leaned in. "AHHH PUMPKIN, NO!" Kim puckered her lips while Shego struggled to back away. Unfortunately, she was fast approaching the edge of the bed without anywhere else to go. "GET AWAY!"

Kim lunged, "GOT YOU!" She grabbed hold of Shego with slippery arns and only gave her a soft peck on the lips.

"Yay, I'm alive, hooray," she said weakly.

Kim snickered at her. "I'm going to shower, I really didn't mean to burp."

"I know Kimmie, but it was damn disgusting." Kim looked away shamefully. "It's okay, Princess." Shego gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. "I need to um, have a talk with Wego. They were asking questions this morning. Might take a while."

"It's okay, this'll give me a chance to talk to Monique."

"Okay, could you… check on my other brothers after you're done catching up?"

"Sure. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, they're just going to ask about what else I can do. They don't know what you know and I'm just…" Shego sighed, "I'm really just not ready. I can't just upstart our relationship like nothing happened. I had to work really hard to get where I am. They really don't deserve a free pass. I don't even think it would be helpful."

"Shego, it's your family, I won't say anything if you don't want me to. But we do need to make them better… faster."

"I know, I know."

"Take your time, you know I'm here for you."

"Can you stop being so perfect all the time?"

"Want me to burp again?" Kim smirked.

"Alright, I take it back. Go shower." She kissed Kim one last time and left.

~oO0Oo~

Kim stared at her Kimmunicator for a moment and scrolled to Monique. She hadn't talked to Monique since before her mission. A deep breath and she tapped her name to dial. Guilt swelled with each ring until finally,

"Kim?"

"Hey Moni-"

"GURL! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?"

"Mon-"

"I HAVE BEEN WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU!"

"Mon-"

"WADE TELLS ME SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED AND NEEDED TO STAY LOW?"

"M-Mon-"

"DON'T MON MON MON ME!" Monique breathed heavily over the phone, ready to unleash more, but it seemed she was out of things to say.

Kim's voice cracked a little and was saddened terribly about not having to talk to her best girl for months.. "I'm… sorry, I'm really sorry." Kim sniffed.

Monique let out a sigh, feeling guilty for having lashed out as she did, "Kim, talk to me. What happened?"

Kim choked up a little, "I… can't tell you."

Alarms in her head went off with worry, "Are you okay? Are you safe?"

Kim did a long sniff, "No. Yeah. I mean, kind of. I'm safe now."

"Where are you now?"

"I can't say."

"Can we meet?"

"Yeah, but I don't know when. I'm _really_ busy. I have to check with She- actually, I want to tell you about the good stuff that happened to me. All the good stuff. I don't want to talk about anything else. I missed you. I don't want to tell you the situation I'm in now and I don't want to put you in danger. Can we just… catch up?"

Monique paused and lingered on the thought of being put in danger. It was a concern that needed to wait. "Okay Kim, I'm listening."

"Heh," Kim sniffed again, "You remember that vacation I took a while back?"

"Yeah, you definitely needed some time off. What happened?"

"Well, I wasn't alone."

"OooOOOooo, who is he?"

Kim chuckled softly, "Well… this person isn't-"

Monique gasps, "It's not a 'he' is he?"

"Would that bother you?"

"Gurl, the only reason I'm upset is that you didn't trust me sooner! And you know, would have made my life easier. I tried to find so many nice guys for you!"

She chuckles again, "Well, um, are you sitting down?"

"It's the weekend, I'm just lyin' my ass down, why?"

"You remember a villain named 'Shego'?"

"Ugh, the green bitch that was always tryin' to kill you every chance she-" Monique took a long exasperated gasp as the realization just hit her, "You lyin' to me, right? You aren't that crazy are you? She's BAD NEWS KIM!"

Kim laughs a bit, "I love her, Mon."

"Is your mind controlled? Are you brainwashed? Kim, do I need to get Wade and Ron?"

Further gentle laughter, "They know, Mon."

Offended, "Wait, so, what, I'm the LAST to know?"

"It's not like that!"

"But it's true, though, isn't it?"

Kim cringed a little, "...Ron's parents don't know yet."

"Kim, come on, I thought I was your best friend!"

"You are! I just needed to protect you! I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry."

"Protect me? From what? Fom who? Shego?"

"No, no, of course not from her, she's actually protecting you too. Look, everyone I love is in danger but I promise you, we're keeping you safe. I can't talk about it. Please, I know this raises more questions, but please just trust me."

A long pause, "Tell me about Shego then. How'd that happen?"

"No one knew. I promise you that. I literally started talking about it now. But even if I told someone, you even, no one would support me."

"That's not true!"

Kim cleared her throat and mocked the words back at Monique, "'You aren't that crazy are you? She's bad news, Kim.'"

"Alright, fine! I've never seen her good side, I didn't know she had one… Sorry, that sounded a lot worse out loud."

"I can assure you, Shego is a wonderful woman. And she cares for me. Maybe not so much for anybody else unless they affect me… so, you're in super good hands."

"Alright, start from the beginning." Kim told Monique of her flirtatious encounters with Shego with every fight they had. How they grew closer together with each conflicted passing to eventually, "You broke her out of prison!?"

"I didn't do that!.. She did that… I just… helped… after we agreed she'd go in first. It was a trade to get better reputation. We went on a real date that night. I… disguised her a little bit with the tips you gave me, took her to a couple places where she wasn't going to be looked for and we had a really great time together. Then I took her with me on my vacation. No big."

"And no one knew?"

"Nope." Kim put an emphatic pop on the 'P'.

"Not even your parents?"

Kim snickered at a memory, "Not even when she and I were only a couple doors down from them in the middle of the night."

"No… fucking… way!"

"Hehe, yup."

"Who are you?"

"I don't even know anymore." She giggled her reply. "Hey Mon?"

"Yeah?"

"I gotta go. I promise I won't take so long to get back to you, but if I do, I'm not doing it on purpose, I swear."

"Alright Kim, be safe. You know how I worry."

"I know, maybe we can meet up on X-mas."

"You better!"

"Bye Mon."

"Bye Kim."

Kim flopped backwards on the bed. Emotionally tired from the guilt of not contacting her sooner. _It's fine now, everything's fine, she understands._ Kim sighed, got up, and went to check on Shego's brothers.

~oO0Oo~

Shego confronted Wego, alone, in their room, "Guys, you wanna talk?"

"Sure." They both agreed.

She looked at both of them with sincerity in her eyes, "I know I've been in-and-out of this place and we haven't really had time to catch up. I've…," she paused. _I've been trying to avoid you._ The guilt washing over her. She thought she should have tried harder to be in their lives. It was time to bite the bullet and she continued, "I'll be completely honest, full disclosure, with the exception of the sick I'm intending to keep you out of. So, ask away."

They were both silent for a moment, really focusing on what they really wanted to know. The first question was obvious, "Why'd you leave?" One spoke while the other nodded. "Hego, Mego, they just avoided the question. Hego would get so angry every time we asked where you were, like he wanted us to forget. Shego, what happened?"

Shego dragged her hands down her face and sighed. _No warm-up, huh?_ "Shit. Okay, look, I want to remind both of you, we made up and they, _especially_ Hego, are idiots. It's what made what happened happen. They're much smarter now thanks to Kim."

"O...kay." Both of them squinted an eye and weren't sure where Shego was leading the conversation.

Shego leaned back in a cushioned chair across from them, "It was right after getting my teaching degree." _Let's dig up the past,_ _yay! "_ I didn't really want to be a hero anymore and I wanted to contribute to society; more than just punching bullshit villains. I wanted to teach," she emphasized with her hands, "be a real hero to those that needed an education. I got my degree, I got my teacher licensure and I told Hego I wanted to quit. He got angry. It was a heated argument. He thought I was wasting my glow. 'A huge responsibility for having such great power,'" she mocked, "I told him I could help much larger numbers of people by giving them a quality education. I'd impact their lives rather than these quick one-offs. I told him he was wasting time just sitting around waiting for the next big strike and mooching off our parents' inheritance. A waste of life. He was furious. He told me _I_ was wasting time teaching people that have no hope going higher in life. That really pissed me off.

"I told him something that changed everything. I knew he was a big homophobe and I thought this was the best time to tell his dumb ass that his own sister was gay. I think he was blinded by rage as whatever came out of his mouth was incoherent except for the words, 'Get out' and 'You're not my sister'."

"Hego did that?"

"Yyuuup."

"What about Mego?"

"Yeah, he heard everything. When I talked to him, I basically asked, 'Can you believe him?' and he basically said that I better go. It wasn't good for his 'reputation'. So, I left." Shego shrugged somberly.

"That's disgusting." Both of them shared how disappointed they were in their older brothers.

"Heh, tell me about it. I'm so glad you guys aren't screwed up like they were."

"I'm really pissed."

She craned her neck, "Well, don't worry about it, it's not your fight."

Anger festered, "Still…" _We lost you because Hego couldn't fucking..._

"Yeah yeah, I know. Don't do anything to them. Kimmie and I are going to make their lives hell for the next year or two. Depends on how fast I need them to improve. You two stay out of it."

"Sis' come on, we can help out."

"No! I'm not above torching your asses if you don't do as I say! Got it!?"

They rolled their eyes in unison until Shego threw small blasts at their legs, "Ow! SHIT! OKAY!"

"I'm not fucking around. If I have to disable you to keep you safe, I will."

"You're only raising more questions Shego."

"Later! When I figure out how to tell you. Anything else?"

"Yeah." Shego looked at him sternly. "Why crime? You're a hero, you wanted to be a teacher, you were, right?"

Shego closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm not happy with the direction my life took but I also don't care. I really don't. I did what I did to survive when everyone was against me and things just stayed that way."

"It was survival?"

Shego tried to plead her case, "When I _just_ got my license, I worked a very low paying job with a lot of school debt since Hego cut me off. I started with doing multiple jobs but it wasn't enough. I wasn't living paycheck to paycheck, I was living by 'Please, I just need three more days before I can get paid from my third job.' I lived in a shitty run down apartment. I had nothing. No one gave a shit. Then, with literally nothing in my pockets, some idiot tried to rob me. I knocked him the hell out. The fucker had more money on him than I'd seen in a month! So, I took it. He didn't deserve it and I damn well needed it more than him. It was just to get by and then I shit you not, three guys tried the same thing later in the same week. I thought, well lucky me, I might be able to buy a futon to sleep on. I turned their lives upside down and took whatever they had."

"Did you get the futon?"

Shego laughed, "I did," she said with a smile but quickly became more serious to avoid judgement, "I only did it to get by, I wasn't actively stealing. Not yet anyway. After a couple of months, I actually ran into a friend I met when I was getting my degree. Awkward guy, kind of irritating, but he was a friend. I didn't have a lot of those. He offered a job to me and given how damn desperate I was, I took it in a heartbeat. I was a bodyguard and right hand man for Dr. Drew Lipsky, who you guys know as Dr. Drakken. Life got a _lot_ easier after that. I took his money, invested. I stole from corrupt officials, invested. I stole from elite assholes that legally stole from the working class, invested that too. So now, I'm your average multi-billion dollar bitch."

"You never gave back?"

She pursed her lips, "No. I didn't. But I didn't take from those who didn't deserve it."

"Well you _kind of_ did. I mean they stole it first and then you did," he explained innocently.

"Look smartass, I need it. When I'm done with the giant shit pile I'm dealing with now, I'll think about making a contribution, until then, they can wait!"

"Whoa, okay!"

"I'm sorry, I'm under a lot of stress. So is Kim. So be extra nice to her. I don't like talking about the past. There's a lot I left out because you don't need to know but this conversation is surfacing wounds that never quite healed"

"We're sorry."  
"Yeah."

"No, it's not your fault. Out of all of us, you guys are the most functional, which is why I don't want to scar you with what we're dealing with."

"Shego, if it's as big as you say it is. It's going to hit us eventually and we're not going to see it coming."

Shego shuddered at the thought and looked at both of them, "Please don't say that right now." She raked her hands through her hair. "Guys, I know you're strong. I know you want to help. I know you can but don't break your promise. The best thing you can do for me right now is to make sure Kim's family is safe."

"At least tell us from who."

"If I tell you, you need to act the same, sound the same, continue with whatever you do as if you never heard it. Do you understand? They cannot know that you know."

"Shego, who?"

"Global Justice; so if you get a call, you do as they say just like always. No questions, nothing. Don't investigate, don't pry for any information."

Both brothers were speechless, "Just… why?"

"When I'm ready to tell you, that's when I'll tell you. Just don't fuck this up. Any change in pace could get Kim and her family killed. Don't...fuck….up!"

"We understand!"

"Guys, you've known me to be pretty fearless, right? Well now, I'm not. I'm pretty scared… I'm really terrified." Both her brothers didn't know what to say. Shego sat there, silent. An awkward minute passed. "An-any more questions?"

The brothers looked at each other, "No."

"Good. I need to check on Kim."

~oO0Oo~

Kim walked down the hall towards Hego's room. She heard haunting groans emanating from his room. It sounded a little over dramatic but she didn't want to chance a real problem and quickened her pace. When she arrived she saw him doubled over on his bed. He caught sight of her, "Get back!" and he suddenly passed an unfathomable and offensive smell.

Kim instantly frowned and left, "I'll come back later!" She continued down the hall to Mego's room. She knocked.

"Uh uh, yes?"

"Hi Mego, it's Kim, can I come in?"

"Um…" he sniffed, "Uh, yeah, sure."

Kim entered, "Everything okay?"

He sniffed again, "Yeah, I um, I was just writing a letter to Shego. It's stupid, I just kind of got into a habit."

"I didn't mean to interrupt, I can come back."

"No, it's okay. What's up?"

"I wanted to make sure you're doing okay. You were pretty tapped out last night."

"Yeah, that was a very scary feeling. I just had this urge to keep going. I kind of lost control… I definitely lost control."

"But you're okay now?"

"I am. Thank you." He looked like he wanted to talk, but couldn't find the right words or a way to transition.

"Um, do you… want to talk about it." He nodded somberly. "Okay, what's on your mind?"

"I write these letters to Shego. To-to say how sorry I am. That I drove her away. That after all these years that I changed, that I want to make up for it. But you know what I did? I'm just the same asshole as before." Tears began to fall, "When I," he used finger quotes, " _apologized,_ I told her it was her fault I couldn't apologize to her before." He grimaced, "I made her believe that!"

"Mego, I talked to-"

"No Kim, I fucked up. I should have tried harder, sooner! I could have." He voice was pained and sore, "All I did was write these stupid fucking letters. I _STILL_ haven't given them to her yet." He paused, his face in his hands, "And here I am, writing another fucking letter."

Kim was feeling more uncomfortable by the second. Luckily, she knew Shego was nearby, "Mego, maybe Shego would be better to hear this from you. Shego? Can you come in?"

"Goddamn bat ears." Shego walked in.

Mego was trying to gather himself quickly, startled by Shego's entrance. He tried to wipe his tears away. "H-how much did you hear?"

"Enough. Where are the letters?"

Mego took out a fire-safe box that looked to have held at least two hundred letters. It could have been less, but the amount was daunting. Mego saw her eyes widen, "I-I know, crazy right? I p-probably didn't need to keep all of them." He looked so ashamed.

"Can I read them?"

He was judging himself, his writing, the quality, the emotional and embarrassing gibberish, but he felt he deserved all the criticism and handed them to her with a nod. "The first one is at the bottom."

Shego took them all out and dumped it on his bed. "Kim-"

"I'll be back later, no worries."

"Thanks."

~oO0Oo~

Kim walked in the direction towards Hego's room and heard faint sounds of dry burping followed by, 'When will it end? When will it end?' Kim stopped getting closer and decided to head back to Shego's room.

She sat on Shego's bed and felt the sheets with a small smile. However, it wasn't long before Kim's thoughts began to bother her. Quick flashes of the mission invaded and she forcefully pushed them away. She smelled Shego's pillow, felt her discarded clothes, anything that got her away from that scene. She trembled lightly but soon regained control. Deep breaths and focus brought her back to Shego's room. She was safe.

Kim thought to go meet up with her family while she was still in Go Tower but she didn't want to be asked any questions. She was afraid and wanted to avoid having to tell them how bad the situation was. Kim then heard hasty footsteps from the hallway.

Shego walked in and held a pained face as she shut the door, "I'm sorry, I really need you right now." Shego was breaking down and Kim sprung to her feet to hug her, "I can't handle this shit right now. I can't do it. It's too much. We have to leave."

"Alright, okay, just hang on. We can leave, but we're not going anywhere with you like this. Come to the bed and lie down."

"I need you here." Her lip was quivering with each word.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay." Kim took her to the bed and held her. "There's too much shit going on, Kim. I can't do it all."

"I know, but you're doing great already. You're doing great. Everyone misses you. My parents like you," a beat, "that's fucked up right? Parents liking my bad-mean girlfriend? Makes me question if they really like me."

Shego chuckled through her sobs, "Sh-shut up, Kiim! You're parents still hate me just fine."

"You made them French Toast S'mores for breakfast, they couldn't possibly."

"Wego made them," she sniffed, "I didn't do anything except tell Wego what to do."

"They don't know that. You accomodated every aspect of their lives. You are so wonderful. I am so grateful, Shego.

"Kim you're killing me! I need a tissue." Kim reached for several and gave it to Shego. She blew her nose and was slowly recovering. "Kim, I love you."

"I love you too, Shego."

"Hooo Kim, I really don't think I can handle any more family right now. I can't take the pain from the past, I can't take anyone else's. I'm really overwhelmed and everytime I see them it's like it's happening all over again."

"Shego, I want you to relax before we head out okay?" Kim was rubbing her back to console her. "You've got me, remember?" Shego took her into a tight squeeze and silently nodded into her shoulder. She cried softly for as long as she needed and finally her grip loosened. Shego was emotionally exhausted and rested next to Kim. Kim ran her fingers through Shego's hair and gave her soft kisses. She spoke quietly while Shego rested, "I can't imagine what you're going through. But I'll make it better. Just like you do for me. Did you know I'm able to sleep at night because of you? I didn't tell you before. I have nightmares, horrific nightmares. But when you hold me, when you're close, I can sleep. Only you, Shego. Only you can make me feel good, make me feel I can go on like I still have purpose. I love you and I have for a long time. I'll love you forever." Kim allowed Shego to rest on her until she woke up an hour later.

Shego's voice came out weak, "Hey."

Kim smiled gently at her. "Hey."

"Thanks."

"I'm always here for you."

"How's Hego?"

"Haven't had a chance to talk to him but he um, he's super gassy when I went by. I couldn't get near him."

"He's such an idiot."

"Do you know what happened?"

"I made him a big breakfast like I did Mego. I seasoned roasted garlic with ghost pepper over a buttered linguini." Kim stared in awe at the odd fusion. "Well when you roast hot peppers, the spicy heat dissipates, anyway not a big deal for us unless you wolf it down. Which is exactly what I'm guessing Hego did. He'll be fine."

"And how are _you_ doing?"

"Better… with you. Are you- did you want to know about the letters?"

"I'm curious, but I'm not going to ask. But if you want to talk, you know I'm all ears."

"I'm not really in the mood to cry again." Shego groaned out a sigh, "My family is so fucked up!"

"Yeah…"

"You're not supposed to agree, Pumpkin."

"Yeah…" She smiled. "When do you want to go?"

"You haven't spent much time with your family, Kim."

"I talk to them every weekend. You don't really want to go?"

"I don't want to leave yet, but I can't face them either."

"How about I go around and let everyone know to give you some space."

"I'm supposed to take care of _you_."

"And you are, and everyone else. We take care of each other." Kim's reassuring smile made Shego feel better.

"Caring for people sucks."

Kim chuckled, "It's also really great." Shego nodded in agreement, burying her head in Kim's chest. "Still need time in my chest of charity there?"

Shego turned her head to speak, "Breasts of bravery."

"Tits of tolerance."

"Cleavage of clarity." Shego coughed a laugh.

"Nipples of Nurturing," Kim waited a moment, "Can't think of another one can you?"

"Shut up. Alright, go. I'll be fine."

"Love you, I'll be back in a bit."

Shego smiled lovingly at Kim until she was completely gone. Her expression slowly dropped as if Kim had carried everything good with her, leaving Shego hollow. The only things left to fill the gap was her past and how it affected everyone else.

~oO0Oo~

Kim went to find everyone, including her parents and brothers and told them, "Team meeting, everyone in the living room in fifteen minutes!" When everyone gathered, they all looked confused by the urgency. They looked at each other trying to figure out if anyone else knew anything. Kim walked in, "This is important, I need everyone to listen carefully."

"Shouldn't we wait for Shego?" Hego asked, still holding his grumbling stomach.

"No, now listen. All of you have been getting bits and pieces of information and things have been going really fast. Shego and I are dealing with something very big and I'm sorry I'm not answering all of your questions. We're not upset with any of you, we love you, but we need some space, especially Shego. It has been a very good, but also a _very_ emotional and stressful weekend. It's not anyone's fault. Not anyone here.

"With everything that's happened, we need you guys to act like nothing has changed. Pretend things are the way they were four months ago. If you don't… …just don't. I know you're worried and I don't really have anything to say that will make those worries go away. But, things will get better.

"So, with us in a critical time, we just need your support more than ever. Give Shego some space." Wego, both, hung their heads low. "Guys, she isn't going anywhere. I'll make sure of it." They nodded and gave her a weak smile. "Alright, so, do we have your support?" Everyone nodded except her parents. "Thanks. If it's okay with you guys, I'd like to talk to Mom and Dad for a bit."

They all nodded and left. Only Kim and her parents remained.

Kim looked at her parents who looked like they weren't able to decide something. Kim looked around a moment and then back to her parents, "So, what's up?"

"Well," her mother started, "Why don't you tell us? You seem fine, Kim. Are you?"

"Um, yeah," she brushed a nervous hand through her hair. _Please, I don't want to think about this._

"So, we're _not_ in danger?" her father asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"No, the situation is very serious. I just talked-"

"So, how can you be fine then, Kim?" Ann was agitated. She wanted her house back. Her life back. Kim seemed happy around them. She questioned if it was all a farce. Would her daughter do that to her? Did Shego influence her? "You keep telling us you're fine. We're worried about you!"

Kim was deeply offended, "I'm as _fine_ as I can be. I'm _fine_ with you being _safe_!"

James try to calm things, "Okay, okay, we're all just lost. We haven't seen you unable to take care of a villain before. Anything's possible for a Possible, right?"

Satan's teacher's voice immediately rang in Kim's head. "DON'T SAY THAT!" she shrieked and breathed heavily. She tried to calm herself, "I'm sorry, just please don't say that." She began to grind her teeth nervously. Both her parents were startled by the outburst.

Ann, now seeing something definitely wrong, wanted to find out what happened. Who hurt her daughter? She tried to calm her voice, "Kim, Shego told us, you went on a mission that…," Kim's eyes darted to her mother angrily, "that you weren't supposed to- Kim, is it true?"

"I did what I did to survive! They were screaming!"

"What? Kim, what are you tal-"

"They surrounded me! Laughing! They were supposed to help! They mocked their PAIN!"

Extremely alarmed, James got up and tried to calm her, "Kim-"

" _NO! THE SMELL! I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY NOSE! THEY WERE ALL AROUND! GET AWAY FROM MEEE! RAAAGH! ARRRGGHH!"_ The next thing that happened was a chair flying to a wall. " _GET AWAAAY!"_ Her fists repeatedly beat on a wall. Her knuckles bled against the stone.

She didn't hear her mom screaming, "Kimberly, PLEASE STOP! STOP!" Both Dr. Possibles were too afraid to get near her. They called for Shego as quickly as they could. Only short moments passed before Shego rushed in as quickly as she could.

"Kimmie, I'm here! I'm here, Princess." As soon as she touched her shoulders, Kim punched her throat, knee, and finished with a kick to her chin. Shego stumbled back gasping for air, but managed to get up and tightly wrapped her arms around Kim. Her voice was hoarse when she spoke, "Kimmie, you're with me. Your emerald dragon, remember?" Kim was still struggling, but she was slowly gaining control again. "You remember our island? Our home? Do you remember the garden?" Kim's hands trembled, soaked in blood while her parents just watched in awe. Sickened to their stomach, worried beyond repair. They could do nothing but cry as their daughter relived a horrific moment. "Kimmie, you remember. Let's go there. Close your eyes." Kim did. "Let's go to the waterfall."

Kim nodded, "The-the waterfall." She spoke between shaky gasps.

Shego picked her up slowly, "Feel the cool splash."

"Sp-splash."

She walked past Kim's crying parents and told them quietly, but sternly. "I'm going to talk to you, wait _here_. I need to clean her up." She continued walking and soothing Kim, "You remember my flowers?" Blood had trailed behind her.

"Flowers."

"Yeah. They were really soft."

"Yeah."

* * *

I know this chapter was very dialogue heavy and had quite a large dose of fluff along the way. You'd be surprised how much I cut away and tried to re-work it. I actually split the original chapter into 2. What you see is, of course, part 1. This chapter obviously needs a lot more work but I really need a break from failing to turn words over. I'm posting for now in hopes to get feedback. Looks like I lost a handful of readers in chapter 05 so I need to figure out where that went wrong.

OH WELL

For those of you still stickin' around, thanks. Around chapter 13ish I start improving my writing a little (just a smidge).


	8. Chapter 8

Ann stared at the blood on the wall and the floor for what seemed like hours. Tears streamed down her face as she choked back and swallowed her cries. James laced tense fingers in his hair and was unable to look at the streaks of red. They heard footsteps approaching. The room seemed to darken upon Shego's entrance as she held an ominous aura. The rage she carried with her caused them to tremble slightly. They stood up to face her and to hear how Kim was doing.

Shego ground her teeth before speaking. Her jaw flexed as she glared angrily at them. A breath, "Kim is stable. She's in our medical bay and I gave her something to sleep." Another, "Now, here's what _you're_ going to do. You're going to answer this _one_ question." She paused to draw in a much larger breath, "What THE FUCK _... HAPPENED_!?" Her fists lightly flickered green that emphasized her obvious displeasure. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and she thought she was going to burn one of them if one didn't speak up, " _WELL_!?" Her voice echoed in the room and down the hall.

Mrs. Dr. Possible spoke with shaky breath, "We had an argument. About… about how our lives got turned upside down and no one knows why. We just wanted her to tell us what happened. We didn't know this was…" she was unable to stay composed for very long and her face cringed, "we didn't know." They both sat down.

Shego looked at the mess left behind and calmed her voice somewhat, "I've told you. I was very clear that Kim encountered something that scarred her for life and that you need to be _VERY_ sensitive to that. I am so angry. So furious!".

"We didn't know!" Kim's father protested.

"No shit!" she snarled at him, "You don't even have a _speck_ of an idea what she's going through! The _SICK_ that she saw! What _she_ did to stay ALIVE!" she approached him quickly, "But you knew enough not to fucking make her relive it!" Every word came out as a growl along with her wide-eyed stare. Shego paused and groaned at their expressions. They held back tears like punished children. "Fuck this weekend! Fuck it all!" She sat in a chair and sighed heavily carefully avoiding further eye contact. She was frustrated. Shego had enough stressors in her life and Kim had helped more than anyone until Kim's own parents took that help away.

She glanced at them and wanted to emphasize how much she cared for their daughter, "Kim is safe with me. We're getting help..., therapy. I make sure she eats right, I make sure she's attending classes. I am no more than a breath away if she needs me," she motioned with her hand with each statement, "And I will set this fucking world on fire if anyone looks at her the wrong way. Got it!?"

Kim's parents shuddered at thunder in her voice. They nodded subtly and were fearful she'd retaliate.

Shego noticed Ann's stare. Inquisitive but reserved. She looked at her exhaustively, "What?"

Ann covered her mouth to stifle another cry and took a breath through her nose. The blood was slowly drying to a brown and it stared back at her. Ann briefly unshielded her mouth to speak, "What would make her do this?" a gasp, "Who would-, _why_!?" She cringed again trying desperately to contain her sobs.

Shego maintained her anger for the moment. It wasn't their fault they were in this situation either. She answered, "It's not for you to know what or who. And the 'why' is as fucked up as the people behind it. Stay out of it; for your safety _and_ Kim's."

Kim's father spoke up, just as distraught, "What is going to happen?*

Vague but Shego knew what he was asking. She forced her anger aside to clarify things further, "Along with therapy, I'm training Kim under extreme measures to make her do the impossible. When she's ready, I'm taking her into the field with me. _You_ are going to continue with your daily lives here, for Kim." Shego saw them immediately tense. "It's best we get the elephant out of the room right now. Do both of you trust me with your daughter?"

Shego watched them come to a very important realization. James answered, "We don't have a choice."

"Good, you understand." She moved on, "I'm reminding you, no one here is a hostage. No one is a prisoner but I'm going to say it again, if you want Kim and yourselves safe, you stay here with the already established arrangements. I feel we've been very accommodating, but if there's something else you need, let Hego or Mego know. Is there?"

"No." They both answered with a nearly empty voice. .

"Good. I'll get Hego to clean up. Make yourselves at home." Shego's voice soured at the end. She stood up and began walking past them until she stopped herself, "And one last thing. Don't you _EVER_ bring up that topic with Kim. If she wants you in the dark then you deal with it. Are we clear?"

Mr. Dr. Possible tightened his fists, "Crystal," he was upset with his earlier actions. Upset he was being talked down to like a child that didn't know his boundaries.

Shego walked off and the two of them were left to use any coping mechanism they had to get through the rest of the day.

~oO0Oo~

Shego watched over Kim who remained asleep. Tears fell as she kept gently kissing her bandaged hand. She took a few breaths and wiped the tears from her face as she reached for the IV line.

Kim's eyes began to flutter open as Shego stopped the drug from flowing. She saw Shego smile gently and Kim's face immediately cringed into a cry, "I'm sorry, I have to tell them I'm sorry. They must have been so freaked out. They must be so worried!" She tried to sit up but Shego pushed her back down.

Shego did not expect Kim to be so resistant to her gentle push and had to be a little more assertive, "Shh, shh, I talked to them already. Everything's okay now."

Kim looked at her hands, bandaged and wrapped, "What did I do!? Did I hurt anyone?"

Shego shook her head, "You didn't do anything but hurt yourself and gave one of the walls a new paint job."

Kim's eyes went wide, "No, I punched-" her breath escaped her and she gasped, "I kicked you, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Pumpkin."

Kim came to a whisper, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Shh, shh. It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong." Shego held her, it was her turn now.

Kim tried to blink away her tears to look at her trembling hands, "How are they, m-my hands?"

Shego let go of her hold on Kim and gently receded to face her, "Finally thinking about yourself? Out of some miracle you didn't break anything. But that doesn't mean you can use them. You damaged the tendons over each of your knuckles. It doesn't _look_ like you'll need surgery but you need to be very careful with them.

"How long?"

Shego looked a little saddened as she knew she was going to disappoint her, "These hands aren't going to be fully healed for a couple months. You should be able to start using them with small tasks with a bit of assistance soon. Maybe two weeks, but since you're you, you'll probably be using them more than you should in a week. We'll take a look at your mobility and the swelling tomorrow. I'll give you more meds for the pain."

"I really fucked up." She felt she had obliterated Shego's plans. She needed to be better and functional. She had no idea how far she just set Shego back. She stared at her bandaged hands and was unable to move them despite her attempt to flex them a little.

"Kimmie, this isn't your fault! I'll give you accessibility tools for your classes, and I can literally wipe your ass for you. There's nothing we can't do."

"No, I'm causing delays. No breaks, Train me, I'll adapt."

"Kim-"

"You have to."

Shego closed her eyes a moment to best handle her stubbornness, "I'll utilize what is best and that's your brain. Okay? But after therapy. Deal?"

Kim looked away, "Fine." She felt useless.

Shego couldn't think of anything to comfort Kim but she tried anyway, "Why don't we um, why don't we eat some lunch. I'm going to cook you something real nice. I promise you'll feel better." Kim gave a subtle nod. "Okay. You want me to put you back to sleep?"

"No, no. I want some control. I just need-"

"I get it," she offered another gentle smile, "Okay, can I trust you to stay here then?" She nodded. "Alright, I'll be back soon. Please try not to think about it. We can conquer anything."

Shego kissed Kim's cheek and walked out.

~oO0Oo~

Not far from the medical bay Shego ran into Kim's mother. Shego slightly soured to her approached. When they met, Ann spoke softly, "Can I see her? Can I apologize?"

"Now is not good time," a lemon would have been sweeter than her voice.

Tears began to fall, "Oh…, okay."

"Goddamn it, let me ask. Wait here."

As Shego was about to go back, she was stopped, "No, it's okay."

She tried to assure her, "I'm not preventing you from seeing your daughter. She's obviously very vulnerable right now."

"I-I understand."

Shego sighed and thought to let her guard down just a little, "Look, I need to cook for Kimmie. Come to the kitchen with me, we'll talk." She nodded and began following Shego's pace.

~oO0Oo~

"Sit here." Shego pulled out a stool in front of the counter. She went behind the kitchen and brought out a bottle of gin and two glasses and looked at her again. It wasn't in a conventional bottle as it was made by one of her brothers. A hobby that the Go family had picked up from their parents.

"What is it?" Ann asked.

"Gin. Family recipe. Care for some?," she said dryly.

Ann looked away shyly for a moment and then nodded.

Shego huffed, "Didn't peg you for gin." She poured, "This is a little stronger than you're used to," she tapped the glass and downed her first shot. A subtle smirk encouraged Anne to do the same. Ann did and held a straight face. "Hah! Little liar!" Shego softened a little, "I'll admit you've got a great poker face. Go ahead and cough, I won't tell anyone."

Anne's eyes quickly began to water and she let out a violent cough. Between each cough she managed to get a few words out, "What's in it?" The burn still in her ears and throat. She could feel it reaching almost to her stomach.

Shego smiled weakly, "Don't worry about that. Another?" She nodded and Shego complied, "One crazy bitch you know that? I'm guessing Kim gets her adventurism from you," she shook her head, "Who am I kidding, I know it." Anne brought the glass to her lips, "Hold that thought." Shego brought out a sugar cube and put it in her drink. She lit a finger tip with her glow and set Ann's drink on fire. She gestured, "Whenever you're ready."

Anne looked at her accusingly. She blew out the flames and downed the drink. She found it went down smoother. "It's good. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get me drunk."

Shego huffed a small chuckle, "I am."

"Why?"

"Because I'm uncomfortable around you," she said flatly and poured another, "Don't drink this one. Just give it some time. Now, what do you want to know?"

Ann watched Shego turn to the fridge to get started with Kim's food. She thought to just get to the point, "Could you fail?"

"Yes." A quick and certain response from behind her shoulder.

Anne was silent. Her stomach turned. She didn't know if it was from the gin or the news. She took some time to process and allowed Shego to finish prepping food before asking her next question. She understood she was actually being honest. After what seemed like ten minutes, Shego threw a casserole in the oven, and Ann followed up, "What is preventing that?"

"Me and my very small but very capable team." She gave her eye contact.

"And my daughter…?"

"Is part of it and can't escape it. But I'm there for her." She paused and became very serious, "I don't want her involved. But my wants aren't going to stop what she's going to face." A brief pause to take a shot of gin for herself, "I'm going to do very bad and horrible things to make sure she's safe. So she doesn't have to. What I do to them won't be enough to make up for what they did to Kim or what they did to their victims but I'll be damn sure it's close."

Ann was conflicted to know that Shego would go to such extreme lengths for Kim. To know that Kim _had_. "Can I take that drink now?"

"Bottoms up," she said dryly.

"Could you…" She circled the rim of the glass with her finger.

Shego scoffed and gave her a sugar cube and lit the drink. She watched her down the drink again and saw her cheeks, nose, and chest begin to redden. "Should have waited just a little bit longer."

"I'm fine." Her eyes began to droop slightly. "What about you?"

Shego stood up straight, "What about me?"

"I just want to know… who you are." Anne did not want to slur her speech. She focused very carefully to articulate each word as she hated being drunk. The nuance of seeing herself as an unintelligent, bumbling idiot offended her.

"I'm a bitch and an asshole."

That answer was less than satisfactory. Ann glared viciously, "You've given my daughter scars and broken bones. You," she sneered in digust. The alcohol hitting like a battering ram to the back of her head, made her lip curl, "and… now… you're dating her. Don't… give _me_ that… bullshit. For my d-daughter… I'm trying _very…_ hard… not t-to hate… you."

"Fine. And for the record," Shego leaned in slightly and met her eyes, "I hate myself deeper than you ever could," she casually stood straight again, "But those are details you don't need to know." A brief pause, "I'm an educator - I was, I suppose technically I will be again. I'm a pilot, martial artist, engineer, and top it all off I can set things on fire," she waved a few flaming fingers in front of her just for show. "I read, I exercise, I train, and I party. Your daughter is the only person that can keep up with me. And I don't just mean just in energy. She's brilliant, absolutely brilliant, but I guess that's unsurprising given where she's coming from."

"Hah! Trying to flatter me?"

Shego squinted an eye, "You think I'd care to?"

"You have… all these… _tal_ ents. You… chose crime."

A soft scoff, "I'd say I fell in. Maybe go so far as to say I was pushed. Some mistakes you don't recover from easily. _You_ never made a _big_ mistake?" Shego cocked her head towards her. Maybe it was too crass. She was still angry. What would she have done if Ann wasn't Kim's mother?

Ann furrowed her brows to the comment but swallowed it. "Why... do you go _t_ o therapy?"

"You aren't privy to that information."

Ann was angry for not getting an answer, "My _daughter_ -"

Very definitive, "Knows. She knows everything. The only one." Shego took another shot. She almost envied Ann's ability to get drunk quickly with such high proof alcohol.

Ann accepted this and tapped the table, "Another… f'r me." She glared at Shego as if to be threatening.

"I'm going to say 'no', that third one didn't hit you yet."

"Total bitch." Ann highlighted the 'B' a little too emphatically. She hated being seen as someone who gave into her inhibitions.

"Don't forget 'asshole'."

"And an a _ss_ hole. You…'ve hurt _my_ … daughter."

Shego rolled her eyes as if her mother should have dismissed this as 'part of the job'. "I was _escaping_. Kim has hurt me plenty, too. I just heal faster. Any idea what a giant construction wrench to your ribs feels like? Here's a hint, not pleasant. Kim is _not_ a weak woman." Shego sounded more defensive than she intended. But it didn't seem to matter as she saw Ann was now showing signs she wasn't able to ask any more questions. "Want me to take you to your room?"

She stared at Shego, trying to decide if she could hold herself up with dignity, but there was no way she could as she was gradually getting worse, "Yes." Anne felt defeated. Another wave hit her suddenly and she was fully drunk. She wondered, loosely, how Shego's family was even capable of making gin that strong.

"Alright," she quickly came around and lifted her to a standing position. "Go slow, I don't want you puking on me."

"I shhhould… out uvv sbite."

"I could just drop you."

"Psshhuutup." She was silent for a moment and concentrated on each footfall. "Can… I… acch-yu-ly trsst… you?"

"Yes."

"I'm hol-hol-hol-"

"You're holding it against me."

"Yesh."

They reached the guest bedroom and she set Anne in bed on her side. "I'll go find your husband."

Ann felt compelled to thank her but said nothing as Shego left.

~oO0Oo~

Shego quickly calculated how much time was left for Kim's lunch and how long it would take to find a possibly wandering distraught father in Go Tower. She took a first guess and thought he'd be in the lab. She found him with his face buried in his hands. He had not been crying but had only been resting his head with thoughts of worry for his daughter. Shego poked her head in, "Hey, I got your wife drunk, she sleeping in the guest bedroom. Check on her from time to time. I'm making lunch for Kim. Bye." She shut the door to his lab and quickly walked back to the kitchen but it wasn't long before she heard footsteps follow her. She spoke quietly to herself, "Damn it."

She slowed her pace to allow him to catch up. As he approached, "Your wife is fine, Kim is fine, what else can I do for you, Dr. Possible?"

"Why is she drunk?" Nothing made sense to him and this certainly didn't help clear things up. He looked at her with an irritated and confused squint. He tried not to say anything to provoke her. Despite taking the initiative to confront her, he was still quite afraid of what she could do to him.

"Because she drank." He didn't see any hostility and looked at her sternly albeit with a bit of caution. Shego saw that he was going to be a pest if she didn't answer his questions, "Because she needed it. Which, I'm guessing, you need one too. Follow me to the kitchen, I'll get you something."

He followed in silence. When they reached the kitchen, Shego patted the seat his wife previously sat in for him to sit. She poured herself yet another shot and drank. She saw his inquisitive raised brow and answered, "Gin." He sneered briefly which encouraged an eye roll from Shego. She brought out a sweet bourbon instead, "More to your liking?" A silent acknowledgement was her reply and she poured into a glass. She passed it to him. "Now, what do you want?"

He hesitated, "I want… nothing. Thank you for the drink and your hospitality." Afraid to be a bother he turned to leave and check on his wife.

Despite her mood she did want to offer him the same chance to talk with her as she did with his wife, "You're here Dr. Possible, this is one of the few chances you can talk to me."

He thought a moment and answered, "What's the point? Reassurances? I don't need those. I need things to be safe and I know they aren't. So what's the point?"

"You could take the time to get to know me."

"Really?" He was sarcastic, "My daughter already trusts you with her life and I've no idea how that happened. Any question to you resorts in some snarky retort that I don't need right now."

"Finish your drink and I'll be honest with you, without the bullshit. Just keep the questions simple, I _am_ cooking for Kimmie and I'm almost done." He stared at her a moment and finished it quickly. She poured him another, "Just enjoy this one."

He pulled the corners of his mouth back, not used to ever drinking that quickly. When he recovered he asked the question that had bothered him, "How did my daughter come to trust you?"

Shego sighed, "It's really not that simple of a question but I'll answer what you're really asking. Kim is right, I'm not evil. Bad, but not evil. She sees right through me. Kim understands when I can't find the words to apologize or admit when I'm wrong. Instead of talking, sometimes we fight… with fists. Kim also understands a lot of what happened in our past was work." James tightened a corner of his mouth. He disproved of the use of 'work' as a viable excuse for the damage done. "Don't misunderstand, I regret every scar I gave her but she wasn't the only one that got hurt. We put that slice of our lives aside." She pulled out the casserole from the oven without mits and set it to the side to cool. Shego placed her hands on the counter and stared at him. She subtly hinted that he didn't have much more time to ask anything else.

He pursed his lips and took a sip of his drink. He was dissatisfied with her short answer. He wanted to know more. "If you intend to be with Kim, you need to let the rest of us into your life too, Shego. It would help us trust you more."

Shego smiled, "Believe me, I just did. But perhaps there will be more at another time. Kim's lunch is ready."

He grunted, "Thanks again for the drink," he said dryly, "When can I see her again?"

"When she's ready. And as difficult as it may be to believe, your daughter is in good hands. Take care of your wife Dr. Possible. I will keep you updated."

Dr. Possible got up from his chair, raised his glass to wave, and left. Shego added a few more seasonings, another layer of cheese, and stuck it back in the oven. A small lie to get him to go away. He was not intoxicated enough to let him in her comfort zone. Such was the case with a much lower proof liquor.

~oO0Oo~

As Shego went to the medical bay, she rolled her eyes at the sight of Mr. Dr. Possible on the floor in front of her. She mumbled, "Damn it." She walked over to him while he still held onto his drink, "What the hell?"

"I didn't eat yet… breakfast was big. An-and you made me drink s-so fast."

"Wait here, I need to give this to Kimmie and then I will take you to your room." He grunted his confirmation.

When Shego entered, Kim lifted her head and was slightly startled by the door opening. Shego set a large plate of the casserole she made on a table next to Kim, "Kimmie, I'll join you in a sec, I got your parents drunk. I'll tell you about it when I get back."

Kim squinted in confusion for a moment and wasn't sure she heard right, "You… got my- why did you-"

"Ah-ah! When I get back." Shego went back to James and lifted him up as she did with his wife. They slowly took their time to get to the guest bedroom. "Your wife can drink you under the table."

"I… I know… that."

"You don't drink do you?"

"Spesh-il okay-shunz… and hulldays… … unly."

"Are you going to puke?"

He hesitated, "Nno, mmm well… nno."

"That didn't sound confident."

"You… are… a… cook…"

"Um, tha-"

"Wonderful."

"Thanks." Shego rolled her eyes. They managed to make their way to the bedroom and she set him down on his stomach next to his wife. She turned back towards the door and headed for Kim quickly.

~oO0Oo~

Shego looked at Kim who was waiting for an explanation, "I'm not good at talking with people. That's why." Shego took a fork and scooped a bite sized piece of the casserole and presented it in front of Kim's mouth.

To Kim, what happened to her parents seemed like a dream, "What did you talk about?" She took the bite.

"Me." Shego prepared another scoop as she was chewing.

"Okay." Kim wasn't in the mood to talk. She was alone with her thoughts too long and could only think of how much of a burden she was. "I don't like being fed."

"Only for a little while, Princess. Would it be easier if you ate it off of me?" Kim was depressed and could only weakly tug a corner of her mouth. "I can even keep the food warm."

Kim closed her eyes, "Shego, stop, please. I just can't right now."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Thank you for trying." Kim frowned. She kept regressing back to her poisonous thoughts. She forced her family to move out of their home, make them worry, not just for her own safety, but for their own lives. She forced Shego to take care of her and her family while affecting Shego's brothers. Bringing them into the world of sick. Tears fell silently. She thought how she had to hide away her friends. How everyone was in danger because of her. She spoke barely in a whisper, "Wouldn't it be better if I just died?"

"NO!'

Kim was overcome with fear, shaken by the loud boom of Shego's voice. "I'm-I'm sorry."

Shego put the food down quickly and came around to hug her, "Please, please don't think like that. Please, I can't live in a world without you," she held Kim tightly, "Please… please… please. You're just not thinking straight. Okay? You're just not yourself right now. It's okay. It's okay. Just hang on a little longer. Just a little more and I'll show you it's okay. Promise me you won't hurt yourself. Please promise me." Shego wouldn't let go, she couldn't.

Kim was in a haze and sniffed, "I-I-I promise."

"Kimmie, I love you so much. Just give me a chance, okay?"

Kim nodded tearfully into Shego's arms. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be, it's not your fault, it never was." She sniffed hard, "Why don't you lie down. Get some rest."

Kim whispered, "Can you stay?"

"Always." Shego helped her into the bed and climbed in with her. "It'll get better, I promise." They held each other for a couple of hours, just resting, not quite sleeping. Letting time wash away the pain. No amount of time could ever wash away all the pain, but even a little bit is enough to cope. "Hey." Kim looked at her, still not quite feeling up to do anything but wallow in sadness. "I think we should go for a run."

"What?" The suggestion wasn't complicated, but it was baffling.

"We have to. It'll help us sort."

"Sort? Shego, I don't understand."

"Sleep or exercise, your damn genius of a brain is trying to make sense of everything. You aren't sleeping, so let's go."

"I don't-"

"Just come on. I'll get you some clothes. There's a gym down on level six with a track."

~oO0Oo~

Shego looked at Kim. All she saw was someone who was broken with no hope. "Take a couple laps."

Kim understood somewhat of Shego's intent. All Kim wanted to do was remain still. She took a deep breath, "How long is it?"

"Fifth of a mile all the way around. I'll keep it flat for now, I can raise some platforms to make it a challenge later. I just want you to take a couple laps. If you still don't feel like, we'll stop."

"Raise them."

A little shocked, "Are you sure? You can't use your han-"

"I know. Just do it."

Kim looked around for a moment, surprised by the capabilities of the room as parts of the floor began to rise, but she didn't ask. Kim started a safe pace and listened to each footfall. She focused on the rhythm -pah- -pah- -pah- -pah- Shego came behind her adding to the rhythm -pa-pah- -pa-pah- -pa-pah- -pa-pah- Kim encountered her first hurdle and quickly jumped over with little effort, -pa-pah- -pa-pah- -shuh- -thdap- -pa-pah- with Shego quickly doing the same -pa-pah- -shuh- -thdap- -pa-pah- -pa-pah- After two laps Shego quickened her pace slightly causing Kim to unconsciously do the same. Further laps continued and Shego quickened her pace again only for Kim to do exactly the same.

"I'm not chasing you Kimmie."

"...Okay… good to know."

"You keep going faster as I do."

"No I don't."

"Let me get next to you."

"Okay."

Shego picked up her pace again only for Kim to do it yet again. Shego saw a small hint of a grin when she glanced back. _Good, at least she's feeling a little better._ Shego sprinted hard to catch up, but Kim reacted quickly. Another race without a goal. Their speed made it difficult to speak, "Alright... Kimmie... have it... your way."

"Don't… know… what… you're talking… about." A small hint of a smile graced her lips.

"First to five… more lapse?"

"Make-it-ten."

"First… to ten then. Starting… … …now!"

They both ran the track at what seemed like inhuman speeds. Shego attempted to get ahead using irregular sprints to confuse Kim. For the moment they were neck and neck until the final lap came. It was unusual, exceptionally odd, but Kim had yet another burst of energy and sprinted faster. Shego pushed herself equally as hard and was just a hair away from being shoulder to shoulder. Kim finished first, but barely.

"I win," Kim said breathlessly. She slowed herself to a walking pace.

"You… had a head start… cheater." Shego smiled gently and placed her hands on Kim's bare shoulders.

Kim looked back, feeling the sweat off Shego's hands, "You're really gross."

"Such an ass. Come on, let's go shower."

~oO0Oo~

Mego had witnessed Kim and Shego in the gym and was completely awestruck. He ran to Hego's room. "Hego, get up. We have to train now. Right now."

"Mego, what are you talking about?" He put a hand over his eyes.

"It's bad. Real bad. We're not even nearly on the same level as them. Not even close!"

"Who? Mego, slow down. Look I'm not really in the mood. I just finished cleaning Kim's blood off the wall and floor. She had… a… a freak-out."

Mego looked to the side, "That's why her hands were bandaged up."

"Wait, you saw her? Is she okay?"

"I don't know. I mean I thought she was okay, I caught Shego with Kim racing on the track. I saw them from the beginning, I didn't want to interrupt but I wanted to use the track, so I waited. Hego, they _started_ at a pace I can't compete with."

"O...ka-"

"No, listen. Shego raised the platforms. Then Kim went faster. Shego kept right up with her like it was a game. And then they made it a game! They challenged each other like they were just children playing. Hego, listen to me, they did a mile in under five and a half minutes. And they were just playing around! They did this with raised platforms! We can't ever hope to be close to that unless we start training. Right now!"

"Okay, okay. I'm getting up." Hego was in a state of confusion. The blood splatter concerned him. He could only imagine what had happened. It made him feel sick to clean it up. And then Kim went running. He didn't want to think about it too much and got dressed in exercise gear.

~oO0Oo~

"Shego got you drunk too?" Anne turned to her husband.

"Mmhmm." James held his throbbing head. "I'm so hungry."

"You drank on an empty stomach?"

"Breakfast was huge, I thought I could last until dinner." He groaned, regretting his decision.

"Go find some food, lightweight."

"Said the person passed out."

"Take three shots of Shego's gin, tell me then how you fair. If you can even get one down."

"Uck, gin, I'll never know why you drink that."

"I definitely want you to drink gin now."

~oO0Oo~

The water beat on both of them as Kim and Shego embraced each other. Shego had cut off Kim's bandages to let her shower. Tiny droplets of crimson had streaked the shower floor just before it swirled around the drain. It wasn't as bad as it seemed, the bleeding stopped shortly and both of them thought nothing of it.

"How are your hands?"

"They hurt… a lot."

"How are you?"

Kim hesitated, "Better than before. The run helped. I need to be-"

"Distracted."

"Yeah." Another pause, "I need to apologize to them. Show them I'm okay."

"Don't apologize, you have nothing to apologize for. But, you can show them you're okay, that is, if they're awake."

"Yeah, why did you get them drunk, again?"

"I feel vulnerable when I talk about my life. You are the only one I want in. I was also very angry with them. They wanted answers I don't have but I gave them a chance to talk to me. Your dad even said that if I want to be with you, I have to let them in. I tried but it has to be on my terms."

"You got them drunk so they would forget?"

"Getting them drunk was a way to stop them from asking too many questions. Your mom is one hell of a drinker though. She got in a lot of questions I wasn't comfortable with answering. But hey, if, and this is a big 'if' Kimmie, if we decide to have an xmas here, I think your mom and I are going to bond."

"Pff, you don't like my dad much?"

"He's smarter than he looks, that's for sure. He's a dad and I can't relax around him. I feel like I have to seduce him."

Kim's eyes widened, "What?"

"No, that's not what I mean. He's just in that age group. I've conned so many men his age, and older - ick - to get information, it's sort of became habit."

"He's not like that! He's not a perverted old man!"

"I know! I know. I'm not saying he is. Just habit."

"Well, snap out of it, he's a good dad," a brief pause, "What did they want to know?"

"They wanted to know if they could trust me. I answered honestly."

"So proud of you."

"Shut up."

Kim smiled a little, "I think we're clean now." She receded from Shego gently, "I really want to show my parents I'm okay… and then I really want to leave." Kim looked up at Shego for what seemed like an approval.

"Me too. Let's get dressed and head home."

~oO0Oo~

Kim and Shego confronted Kim's parents. Shego stood behind Kim, almost like a bodyguard, and looked at both parents calmly. Kim informed them that she was better and didn't blame them. She explained she was aware that they both worried and that the less they know, they safer they are. But, she added that they shouldn't talk to anyone about her unless with one of the Go family was present. She hated treating them like children, but she felt this was the only way. She gave them both a hug carefully and left the room. Kim let her brothers know that she was leaving. They both didn't know Kim had an episode, but they caught on that she was acting very differently along with her bandaged hands. Kim lied and explained that it was just from training and not to worry about it. She gave them a hug and left.

Shego wanted to find her brothers and let them know they were leaving and to make dinner for Kim's family. _Where the hell is Hego and Mego?_ She went to Wego's room and asked, "Hey, you know where your idiot brothers are?"

"Check the gym."

"We saw them in their old exercise gear like they were on a mission to lose thirty pounds."

"O… kay… Thanks." She headed towards the gym. She was more baffled by the strange determination they had, jogging among the flat track. "Uh guys?"

They both raised a finger signaling to wait a moment. They circled the track and came jogging towards Shego. They jogged in place in front of her. "What's up… Shego?"

She was immediately irritated by the constant motion, "What the hell are you two even doing?"

"Jogging."

"Yeah, I can see that. STOP! RIGHT NOW!"

They stopped and hunched over with hands on their knees catching their breaths. Mego just came out with it. "I saw…" He took a breath, "I saw you. I mean I knew you were better, but fuck, Shego. How? When? Both of you are just…" another breath, "we're just trying to get better… okay?"

Shego was pleased to see them trying and thought there might actually be some hope. "G-good. Look, Kim and I are leaving. Do both of you understand the plan tomorrow?"

Mego spoke first, "I'm lookout for Kim's house starting at five AM until you're back."

Then Hego, "I'm here with Kim's family, if there's any missions to separate us, send Wego."

"And!?"

Both answered, "Press the panic button if anything is even remotely wrong."

"Good. It's simple. Just be look out." She paused, "Thank you." She quickly turned to leave.

Hego stopped her, "Is Kim alright?"

Shego looked back, "She's okay… for now. I don't know how long it will last. I don't know if I can handle it again. Just stay focussed on tomorrow.

"We will."

~oO0Oo~

Kim and Shego arrived and entered the Possible's residence. Both were drained from the day, more emotionally than physically. Kim remembered she had research to do and headed upstairs but paused halfway, "Can you still teach me to cook?"

A small smile crept on Shego's face, "Yeah. I don't have any more lotus so I'll think of another dish."

"'Kay." Kim headed up to her bedroom while Shego headed to the den.

Shego needed to prepare for meeting with GJ at the school. Once she got to the den she contacted Wade.

He answered immediately, "What's the sitch?"

"Is everything prepared for tomorrow?"

"She appears to be behaving and intends to show up as planned." Wade's expression appeared to want to say more.

"But?"

"Nothing for tomorrow. Here's the 'but'. As anticipated, she's designing a super suit. I don't have a lot of detail on it right now. It doesn't look like they even have a prototype. Shego, they intend to use the same graphene hybrid that's in your suit."

"I can burn it. What about the serum?"

"Shego, you can burn it by going over the top, you'll expend all your energy, so think about that. And the serum, it's still in development. Drakken can't figure out one of the proteins and his guess is good as mine. Kim could probably-"

"No! I told you, she'll ask questions, it's too soon. She had… an episode today."

"Is she-"

"She's fine. I took care of it. She's studying now."

"What about you, Shego?"

"I can handle it."

"You know, Kim did this too."

"Did what exactly."

"She uses the 'anything's possible' motto to get through life. And in most cases, it worked. But we all saw it, how pushing herself well beyond her limits was hurting her. Shego, tell me the truth. How are you holding up?"

"I see a therapist. That's all you need to know."

Wade sighed heavily, "I consider you a friend, Shego. I wished you'd thought the same."

Shego rubbed her forehead, slightly agitated by the subject and tried to change it, "How's the team?"

"Nothing really to report."

"You're part of the team, Wade. The question includes _you_."

"Nothing… to… report."

"Fine, you're my friend!" Shego then muttered under her breath, "Ridiculous," but continued, "And I'm managing, okay? I'm stressed the fuck out. Now, how's the team?"

"I'm fine, Shego." He smirked, "Everyone is ready to go and surveillance drones are over Go Tower and Kim's home right now. I'm throwing out another over the school in the next couple hours. Then I'm getting some shut eye. Anything else?"

Shego hesitated, "I'm bringing Kim on board. She-she'll enter the field when… she's better."

"Shego-"

"It's her demand. I can't do anything about it."

"Maybe I can-"

"You can't, you know you won't be able to talk her out of it. Besides," a long pause, "both of us, together… I don't like it any more than you do, but it makes my plan possible."

"And if she breaks down?"

"She won't."

"If you do?"

"I… I won't!"

"Shego you sounded like you were trying to convince yourself."

"We don't have a choice! Enough! Tomorrow is your priority. That's all." She looked at him sternly, daring him to challenge her decision. She knew deep down he could, though. He looked at her back, equally as sternly. Shego furrowed her brows more. Wade tried to match. "Wade, I had a whole life of being a grumpy bitch, you're just a novice."

"Fine. But in the short while I've gotten to know you, I like you enough to want you to be okay. Just don't get yourself in the same deep hole Kim's in. I really won't know what to do if you start thinking about… I just don't want another friend who could hurt themselves like that." Wade's eyes pleaded with Shego.

A heavy sigh came, "I've had a very emotional day, don't add to it, alright? I told you, I'm seeing a therapist, and now, with Kim. Starting Tuesday, it'll be everyday, so long as we have time. You done?"

"Yes… friend." He smirked.

"Oh fuck off and get back to work."

"Yes ma'am." Still smirking, "Wade out."

 _Un-fucking-believable._ Shego picked up some layouts of the school and went over it again and again. She went over photos of the landscape, studying every dark spot, every corner. But, the truth was, any agent would hide in plain sight. Shego shifted to studying faculty, student members, reporters. She tried to memorize faces of everyone. Any hint of foul play, Shego would expose Betty's eye to the world in the most painful of ways. When she felt she remembered enough faces, she decided to take a break and head upstairs.

Kim was studying, but she slipped in and out of concentration. She broke from her focus, reflecting on the day and only guessing at what Shego was doing in the den. She was stressed for obvious reasons and the next day brought on its own set of worries. But when she saw Shego in the doorway, a calm washed over her.

"Um, French toast s'mores?"

"Need to go shopping don't you?"

"We could make some egg rolls, but meh."

"With my day practically free tomorrow, you want me to go shopping?"

"No, um, it's taken care of. I… I don't want you to go anywhere tomorrow." Shego looked shameful like she was keeping Kim prisoner.

"I'll stay here. You need a clear head. I get it, I won't do anything to challenge that. Besides it'll make me concentrate on school."

"I don't think you're weak or unable to handle things."

"Shego, I know. It's okay. I never thought you did." Kim walked to her.

"It's just-"

Kim hooked her bandaged hand into Shego's gently, "Let's go cook. Everything about you is wonderful and amazing." She smiled at her, "Come on, I want to see how I'll screw up this time."

Shego let out a chuckle, "You can't screw this up."

"Sounds like a challenge."

"Please don't."

* * *

Rushed the end but a lot is going on in my life right now (generally good things) and three weeks is a long time to wait for the next chapter - so here it be :) I'm hoping the next chapter won't take as long but I edited a lot in this one which will affect chapter 09. Thanks for sticking with it!


	9. Chapter 9

It was a cloudy, fall day. Stubborn trees littered the ground with their dried leaves after all services to clean them up were done and gone. TV crews were set up in various places on campus after gaining knowledge that the school and Global Justice were going to make a special announcement. Dr. Betty Director stood before the podium, trying to be as convincing as possible among an audience of skeptics, parents, and even some faculty.

"...And that is why we must give those who are willing to change a chance. A chance at a better life without being feared. Without being judged. And we couldn't be happier to start our new program, at this prestigious school, with Shego." Shego came up from behind the raised platform just out of the audience's view and went to stand next to Betty. A few gasps and confused banter could be heard among the crowd. Betty raised a hand to calm them, "Shego came to us, for a change, for hope we could offer. Try to remember, Shego was once a hero that all of you admired. Give her the chance she deserves." Uncertain murmurs could be heard. "She came to us with the intent to teach and initially, we _did_ say 'no'. But she offered a plan that enables us to rehabilitate people, not just lock them up and throw away the key." Betty placed both her hands on the top sides of the podium, "Now let's be clear here, we wouldn't just let someone with her record into our program without some restraints. She will be monitored at all times, she'll have a leg monitor on, and she won't be allowed off school campus, _especially_ without us knowing. She will be tracked and will answer to Global Justice. We will regularly meet with her to ensure she's on track to re-enter society. And, in time, extending our leash until we eventually let go. She will prove to us _all_ that _this_ program will benefit everyone. It gives those who've made mistakes…, who've gone down the wrong path, a _chance_ to show us can change for the better." Betty took a moment to look at all her audience to sell her sincerity. She leaned into the microphones, "Thank you. Shego and I will answer your questions now."

The crowd went into a clamor briefly until Betty picked a reporter who immediately shouted his question, "How can you ensure the safety of the students? What if she decides to take them hostage for some other gain?"

"As stated, GJ will be watching. We will post two agents among the students, undercover. Your classrooms will be monitored and secured."

Another reporter called out, "Shego, why now? And what will you be teaching?"

Shego neared the podium. She cleared her throat briefly and leaned in, "Hello everyone," a brief look around, "Believe it or not, I wanted to start out teaching. I actually didn't like the hero biz and left team Go as soon as I was credentialled. It was very tough and my choices made me struggle financially. I chose a bad path to get myself financially stable. And, I made a worse choice by continuing on that path. I can only promise I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for my deeds. I want to teach and give back. I've acquired skills that are surely controversial but will be essential in teaching my courses in Advanced Business Security. Students will be able to protect their assets from people like me, that's a promise."

"How do you expect us to trust you!?" One member of the audience called out.

"I know it's hard to believe, with what I've done, and then to suddenly change - sudden to you, I imagine," a flicker of a mocked nervous smile, "I don't expect you to trust me. I won't ask you to. But if you want to know my secrets and how your businesses are vulnerable, take my classes. All funds go to equipment and to the school and I don't see a dime. My compensation is a chance to prove myself."

Another reporter, "Dr. Director, I understand this program starts with Shego, but who else are you considering for this program? Is any other villain interested in rehabilitation? And how do you determine if these villains can actually be rehabilitated? What if they can't? How-"

Betty's eyebrows slowly rose at the increasing number of questions coming to her in succession, "Woah, going to stop you right there. All of you have many valid questions. Certainly many villains, _criminals,_ are - quote unquote - interested in the program. We have top criminal psychologists and various methods to determine validity of intent. We scrutinize our data and take every step seriously. Villains who try to lie are put on a different path. Unfortunately, not everyone can be placed into society. Shego, however, has proven to us she's willing to enter society on better terms." Further clamoring of questions and Betty was hiding her agitation as the clock was quickly approaching 9AM, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid we need to get Shego settled in. Thank you for your time."

They both headed off in a GJ government vehicle, away from the public. Shego decided to taunt her, "You look tired Betty, haven't you been sleeping well?" She grinned. Betty stayed silent. "I have to say I was pretty impressed with your little speech there. A sick fuck like you can really sell it. Did you write that speech? Or did one of your gremlins do it for you?"

The vehicle stopped in front of the school's library, "Everyone, get out," Betty ordered. As soon as the doors slammed shut, "Remove that FUCKING-"

Shego's eyes immediately narrowed, "Ah tut tut, temper temper. I said I'd remove the pain. Don't think we're done. I'll be watching you. I didn't think I had to remind you, the farther you are from Kim, I'll loosen my grip on _my_ leash. Oh, and look at the time, 8:58. Should I wait a few more minutes?" Betty grit her teeth, fuming. "And here I thought you were good under pressure. Remove your patch you disgusting cunt." Betty swiped away the garment and Shego placed and held what appeared to be conductive tape over her eye with her thumb. Betty flinched at a flash of light. A minute passed and Shego removed the tape, "See, all better, 9:00 and no pain."

Betty growled, "Get the fuck out."

Shego refused, "You know, something just doesn't add up."

"What?" She hissed. Her well-known composure reduced to an angry mess as she put her patch back on.

"Kim would have been a valuable asset to you. Why send her _there_?"

" _GET_ -"

Shego placed a finger to her chin, raising her voice ever so slightly to interrupt her, "Unless of course, there's another leash around your neck. Or is it a noose?" She watched Betty make the subtlest of moves. To anyone else, Betty hadn't flinched, but Shego saw the shock. "Golly, I'm just full of surprises, aren't I? Ta!" Shego exited the vehicle. "We're done boys. Oh, and she's a little cranky." Shego waved, "Bye bye." She watched them drive off and entered the library. She looked around suspecting everyone was an agent until she started recognizing student faces. A few of them approached her.

One student excitedly spoke while clasping her hands, "I just saw you on the news! I told my friends I saw you around campus the other day. No one believed me!"

Another, "I think it's really great what you're doing. I mean my mom just called me and told me that she wanted to pull me out, but she's a total bitch, so whatever."

And another, "You're so hot, I always thought you were hot. Can we go out? Oh my god, please."

"Woah, woah, woah." Shego turned to the first student, "First, yes, I've been around campus to get familiar with it." Then the second, "Um glad you support my efforts to be a better citizen." And finally towards the creep, "And I'm taken. You seriously need to treat people like people, not some candy you want suck on. 'Kay?" She spoke to all again, "I know all of you have questions, but I really must go. I'm on a very short leash and I must make all my deadlines and appearances. Maybe later, excuse me." Shego began walking away and upstairs. She could hear the students literally talking behind her back.

An incredulous look, almost cringing, "Wow, she's so different. They must have tortured and brainwashed her."

"Yeah, I mean, it _is_ privatized authority. They must have made her watch snuff films while making her listen to some classical music or something."

"Yeah and drugged her."

The students continued, but Shego was out of earshot. She reached an empty room and went out a window to the roof where she parked the ship. She got in and called Wade. Before he could say anything, "Where's the cunt? Are we linked?" Shego started the ship immediately.

"We are. New messages can be sent, we have a better view of what she can see now. There is… a small delay."

Her brows furrowed at the news, "How small?"

"Four to eight seconds depending on where she is."

"That's too long."

"I can't do anything about that," he defended, "It's a miracle I got that far! That eye isn't exactly your average WiFi router. The only thing boosting a signal is the fluid in her own head!"

"Fine. Any movement near Kim?"

"None of the drones picked up anything, but Mego thought he saw something at a neighboring house."

Her heart beat harder, "Why the fuck wasn't I called!?"

"It's unconfirmed. Mego doesn't know Kim's neighbors. He's just doesn't want to mess up with false alarms. They aren't approaching, they're receding. There, just received confirmation. False alarm."

Her eyes widened, staring at Wade angrily through her Kimmunicator, "I said ANYTHING suspicious."

"Shego, everything _is_ to them. They don't know what to look for. They're thinking squirrels have weapons. And what Kim's dealt with, that's entirely plausible."

An eye twitch, "When exactly would I be informed then? When it's too late!?" She put tense fingertips to her brow.

Wade was getting agitated but given the day, who Shego had to deal with, he remained calm, "Have faith in us. We care about Kim too. You can't do this yourself. That's why you _have_ us." He reminded her, "I have a weaponized drone above her house. I'm directly connected to everyone. Everyone is on high alert and even now, I'm tracking Betty heading back to GJ. Video from her eye syncs with my drone cam. Shego, trust us."

Shego let out a stressful sigh and relaxed a little in her chair, "How's Kim?"

"The house sensors showed she went to the kitchen this morning and has been in room for the remainder of the time you've been out."

"So nothing happened?"

"Nothing happened. Head home Shego."

Shego exhaled a breath of relief, "I-I owe you."

"Don't worry about it… friend."

"Ugh! Fuck off." Wade disconnected with a smirk. "Fucking hate caring for people!" She steered the ship and accelerated towards Kim.

~oO0Oo~

"Pumpkin! I'm home!" A brief snicker at herself. It wasn't her home but saying it to Kim felt good.

"Hey." Kim called from her bedroom. Not particularly excited nor was her response worrying.

Shego went up to greet her, "Hey." She wrapped her arms over Kim at her desk and leaned her chin on Kim's shoulder. "You okay?"

"You looked good today."

Shego's brow raised and she pursed her lips a moment, "I was pretty sure I left a note saying not to watch TV."

A dry response, "I have internet."

Shego stood up and rubbed Kim's shoulders, "Kimmie, you and I both know what I meant." She paused to face her. "How are _you_ , Kim?"

Kim turned to her, raising her head to meet her eyes with a saddened look in her own, "I'm conflicted with extreme anger and logic. You were right there and you could have killed her, twice even. You could've ended… But…, I know…, I know there's a bigger problem than her. It's just…," she shook her head briefly, "And when you went in that car, I was scared. I thought that was it. And I was… I was going to rescue you and torture that _fucking_ cunt if anything happened to you." She grimaced and ground her teeth, "Because-" a mild tremble shook her but it came and went.

"Kimmie, stop."

"Because of her, I'm able to torture. It's sick Shego and I hate myself." A tear had escaped her despite being so stoic in front of Shego.

Shego tried to console, "Kim, they can't touch us. And… everyone has bad thoughts."

She looked down, "Not like this," her voice soured

Shego knelt down to meet her face again, "We'll get her when the time is right."

Kim ran a hand through her hair and then folded her arms, "I was so relieved when I saw students' pictures of you in the library." She sniffed, recovering slowly. She wiped the few tears that escaped her eyes away.

"Pictures?" Shego craned her neck.

"So many Shego, anyone with a smartphone took a shot of you."

"Great. I'm a damn celebrity," an attempt to lighten the mood.

Kim remained stoic, "People are going to try to push you."

Shego looked away, "Yeah. Kimmie, I don't care about that. I only care about you. Now, I've been wanting to hold you since I left, could you f-ing hug me already?" She forced a smile at her, "Please?"

Kim embraced her and spoke over her shoulder. "What did you do in the car?"

"I gave her another warning." It was a quick, dismissive reply.

"Shego…" Kim hated how Shego had to sugar coat her words for her. Beating around the bush all the time made her feel weak.

She pleaded, "Can it wait until this weekend? It'll make more sense then and I really just want to make this place a no-work zone."

Kim shut her eyes, "Except for the den."

"That's only because I have to. Now shush and let me enjoy squeezing you," she nudged Kim with her head to stop.

"Your heart is beating really fast." Kim could feel Shego's pulse against her neck.

"Because I was scared too."

Kim eyebrows knitted, "You said they couldn't touch us."

"Never underestimate stupidity. They could always do something stupid. But everything is okay now."

Kim leaned her head into Shego's neck, "Shego I really hate this. I really really hate this. I'm trying to just... _be better_ , trying to ignore it like everything's normal and okay. But I'm always looking over my shoulder, always listening acutely to everything. I-I _flinch_ at the wind."

"I'm sorry. I'm doing everything I can."

"You act like it's your fault when it's mine."

"No it's not!"

"Shego-"

"I'm not going to say it again. Enough. Just… you should study, get your mind off of this. I know where she is and what she's 're safe, you can relax, I promise."

"How?"

Shego didn't have an answer and kept silent for a moment. She only continued to hold her. "I promise to make everything better. I promise, Kim."

A weak whisper came, "Okay."

She receded gently, "What are you researching? And before you ask, yes, I'm interested."

A brief pause before answering. A moment to switch gears. A moment to push the worry down, "I'm researching the enzymes and bacteria found in the Nepenthes and Utricularia. I'm looking to see how to break proteins down faster with naturally secreted enzymes and attempting to sustain life forms with bacteria."

Shego stared at her and blinked, "Sounds like something that just went over my head."

"It focuses on how carnivorous plants eat, basically."

A dark thought entered her mind, "I'm suspecting that there's more to this."

"For now, it's nothing more than that." Kim looked away revealing there was actually more.

"But…" Shego tilt her head downward while still looking at her.

"Possibly two goals, one where I can produce a weed that secretes oxygen levels where there are high population of insects. Or…"

"Orrr...?" She dragged the word while craning her neck exaggeratedly.

A breath, "A very painful agent that will liquify Betty from the inside out while keeping her alive for as long as the bacteria can support her heart, lungs, and brain."

"Kim thats-"

"I know. I'm disgusting. I hate myself. But… what she did, what she allowed… who she sent me to. I won't stop. She deserves worse, but I can't make myself think any worse than this. It won't be anywhere near enough to make up for what those kids... all of those people went through. I can still hear them. Not a day goes by without me just hearing them scream. 'Wrong' isn't even close to magnify what happened to them. Every _fucking_ day, the screams just get louder." Kim stopped. She opened her mouth to continue but she thought better of it. She could hear them howling in her mind and she had to take a deep, tearful breath to suppress it.

Shego was having extreme difficulty staying composed for her. Silent tears fell as she watched Kim struggle to stay together. She watched her be an empty shell she couldn't fill. Not now. No comfort came when she held her. None for when she offered her promises. Shego took a deep breath. "We're seeing Dr. Shrinkner, right now."

An empty voice, "The appointment is tomorrow."

Shego sniffed hard, "I don't care, we're going. Right now. Get up or I'll drag you." She was somewhat relieved to see her get up but the worry was extremely overwhelming. _What the hell happened? What am I doing wrong?_

~oO0Oo~

They arrived at Dr. Shrinkner's office and waited in silence. They informed the receptionist that it was an emergency but they were told they would need to wait until after her current appointments were finished. They were also asked not to leave. Given it was an emergency they were placed on a suicide watch.

The hours ticked away and most of the morning was wasted. Shego would not leave Kim's side even when they needed to go the bathroom which was more complicated than it should have been. They were guided to a private bathroom which they were permitted a short time limit with only mild privacy. Another doctor had to stand outside the door and wait. Once 2PM came, they were finally able to see the doctor.

Dr. Mallory Shrinkner offered them a few snacks as she was aware they hadn't had lunch. Neither had she, apparently, as she was opening a snack for herself. "I apologize for the long wait." Her voice seemed naturally soothing when she spoke. "Please give me a moment to grab my notes. Kim, I think we can finally catch up today. And, Shego, are you here for support or would it be better to focus on both of you?"

Shego stammered a bit, "Both. I-I mean, I'm here for support… and help. But, I want you to help Kim first." Shego felt vulnerable. She often kept her emotions guarded, even around Mallory but she could only think of Kim.

Mallory walked to her desk and grabbed her file on Kim. "Alright." The affirmation was calm and accepting, "Kim, I know you've been quite reserved to tell me what happened, but as I told you before, it's safe to talk to me. Everything, and I do mean everything, is kept confidential here." Kim nodded but hadn't responded. "Would you like Shego to leave so we can be alone?"

The notion was so uninviting that she responded almost instantly, "No, it's okay. She's the only person that makes sense."

This was a peculiar statement, "How do you mean?"

Kim only eyed the floor and her voice slowly became more distant as she spoke, "She understands me." Kim began talking as if Shego weren't in the room, "She's really smart."

"I see, what doesn't make sense?" She listened intently with her laptop in front of her.

"Everything else." She paused, "I'm sure you want an example," a brief moment was taken to look at her.

"If you don't mind."

She began, "People have jobs, they have families, they have routines, and generally, they can age and retire, and then quietly die. Some of those people get taken away from that path. Some are killed. Maybe it was murder, maybe a disease, maybe an accident. And then…, and then there's this separate... entity. With no purpose and for no real personal gain or gain to anyone else, they torture for the simple reason that they can. And I saw _him_ … _practicing_ …" Kim was unconsciously digging her fingers into the chair.

"Kimmie…" Shego saw the cushion getting folded under Kim's fingers.

"...Like what he was doing didn't really matter as his victim howled in agony. Confused as to why he was being restrained and mutilated. I can hear them so clearly. So clearly and I killed him, that poor boy, to make him... To stop feeling anything. But the screaming didn't stop. It was everywhere. Countless victims hung up like… meat. He didn't care. Those people were like decorative objects on a shelf."

Shego looked at the doctor to stop her from continuing. She was afraid of another violent episode. "Doc…" Mallory raised a calm hand not to worry and Shego let Kim continue with high anxiety.

"I shot him," Kim flexed her fingers as if to pull a trigger, "First his knee," she flexed, "and he bit his lip and closed his eyes," she sneered in disgust, "He liked it. H-He _liked_ it. He touched himself and I was so sickened…," she pulled with her fingers harder, "I shot him there. He moaned. I can hear it. I wanted him to _suffer_ and he _moaned._ I couldn't," a stuttered gasp, "I couldn't take it. There was no one left to stop me and I shot his throat. I aimed at his head but it hit his throat. He enjoyed every... last... second of his dying, gurgling breath. But just before… before… he mouthed the words 'Anything's possible'. He let out a gurgled pop from his throat with his last breath. He was laughing.

The cushion folded firmly beneath both of Kim's hands, "None of it makes sense. It shouldn't exist." Kim was staring at the floor, extremely tense with shallow breath. "How do you punish someone like that? It doesn't make sense." Shego was cringing, holding back tears, and tried to stay strong. Memories of her own experience flickered in her mind's eye.

"Kim," the doctor spoke, "can you tell me what happened to your hands?"

Kim's eyes darted around the floor briefly, she became more aware of how tense she was and forced herself to loosen her grip, "I had a vision yesterday. I thought I was there again. I-I didn't hurt anyone. Just a wall. I'm sorry." The pain in her hands grew intensely as she became more conscious of it. She worried she may have hurt herself even more as the pain crept up her forearm. She ignored it and tried to focus on the room. She named objects she found in the room to ground herself. _Magazine, yellow paper, black laptop, small glass, round table, brown desk, floral lamp-_

Kim's apology intrigued Mallory, "Why are you sorry, Kim?"

The pain in her arm receded to just her knuckles now, "I could have hurt someone. I'm not supposed to be like that."

"How are you supposed to be?"

To Kim, the bandages felt wet but they did not appear to be bleeding through. "I'm supposed to be able to do anything. I don't have… control. Now… I'm a-" Kim stopped herself looking at Shego who was having extreme difficulty maintaining. "-nothing."

She turned and looked at Shego who was in the middle of swallowing her tears. "Shego, do you know what she's leading to?"He soothing voice alleviated some of the tension but it was far from gone.

Shego breathed deep as she nodded, "She thinks she's one of them."

"Is that true? You believe you're like them? Him?" Kim flinched at the reference of 'him'. She slowly nodded.

Shego burst out a cry, "You're not!"

Mallory quickly reacted and needed to control the situation. She did not want Shego feeding a fire. "Shego, do you need to take a moment?" Mallory, while it was a question, made it a clear suggestion that she should go to the waiting room.

"I'm-I'm… I'll wait outside."

Kim looked at her worriedly, not wanting her to go, "N-no, please. Can she stay?" She looked at Mallory for approval.

Mallory could see that Shego was the only person that made Kim feel safe but together they were both too unstable. "She can stay Kim, but it might be better for _her_."

"Oh… okay. I'm sorry." She looked at Shego, "I'm sorry."

"I'll be right outside," a sniff, "it'll be okay."

She whispered, "Okay."

Shego left and closed the door, sat in the waiting room, and buried her face in her hands. _Why can't I keep it together for her? Fuck!_ She waited a full hour before the door opened again. Her head perked up at the sound of the door opening and saw Kim a bit calmer when she entered the room, but still depressed. Shego noticed that something was in her hand, "Hey."

Kim quietly replied, "Hey."

"What's that?"

"She gave me-"

"Shego, please come in." Mallory waved her in with a flex of her hand.

"I'll be right out, Pumpkin," She gave Kim's shoulder a consoling squeeze and entered the doctor's office. She turned to Mallory as soon as the door closed, "What did you give her?"

"Shego, have a seat," she instructed and proceeded to answer the question, "I gave her an antidepressant and an additional drug that works with it for her anxiety. There's also medication for her blood pressure."

"She needs to have a clear head, she can't-" Mallory cut her off while still typing notes on her laptop.

She looked up without lifting her head, "Is her head clear now? Shego, she's under a lot of stress and her blood pressure is at dangerous levels. If whoever is after her isn't going to kill her, her stress most definitely will. Get her started today and both of us will monitor her."

Shego looked at her as if she just took a giant leap backwards. Shego's heart felt it had wrung and twisted, "She was okay a few days ago, I thought..."

"It can come in waves, usually without warning. Sometimes it's triggered by someone or something that reminds them of the traumatizing event. Sometimes it can be as small as a familiar scent or sound. Other times..., the mind just brings it up without warning. But the bottom line, Shego, is that she needs to be better before I can really start treating her. She's going to be out of commission for a while."

"Can she still train?" She clenched her fists knowing the answer already.

"If you're asking if she can exercise, it would be good for her. But if this is for a mission, I implore you not to."

"How long?"

"You know I can't pin a date. It can be years," she lifted her head and paused her typing, "Or not," she resumed typing. "It depends on her and everyone she's around. You seem to be a very good influence on her though." Shego shared an exasperated sigh. Mallory continued, "Let's take a look at _your_ blood pressure."

"It's bad."

"Give me your arm." She did. "Tell me what's been going on in your life."

Shego had her therapy session. She told Mallory what she was managing. How Kim had got her to reconnect with her family. How she was arranging accommodations for her friends and family. How she managed to build a team to monitor their safety. And finally, the sick she keeps discovering. But her biggest concern was Kim. While she tried to stay strong for her, she would often crumble soon after she did.

"Shego, we've been through this before so I don't want you to argue." Mallory began writing a script. "It's a strong anti-depressant."

"It won't work. My body-"

"I'm aware, Shego, don't argue," she offered a quick smirk, "Start with the usual dosage for the first two weeks and then double the dose after. That is, if there is literally no change." She tore the script from her pad and handed it to her, "Perhaps when you see Kim have a sense of calm, a sense of 'normal', you will too. You seem to have a good handle of managing your other… projects, but if I were to recommend anything, it would be to delegate as much as you can to off-load your stress."

"What do I do for tonight? What if she breaks down again? I don't know what to do."

"The best you can do is be there for her. Keep doing activities together. The anti-anxiety medication will start working the day she takes it. It doesn't have the same ramp up time the anti-depressants do. It should help her blood pressure as well but we'll keep her on that medication until I see significant improvement. As difficult as this may be, try to stay away from stressors. Kim has been the most severe case I've ever encountered apart from yourself. Try to keep her around safe and familiar areas and people."

"She's in a university with thousands of students. Sure, some of them are familiar but-"

"I've talked to her about this already. She needs to consider taking a leave of absence. I leave it up to her best judgement, and of course yours, but I highly recommend that she take a break. She trusts you and unless you feel school is a positive influence, you'll heed my recommendation and convince her to take some time to breathe."

"I'll… um, I'll talk with her."

"Good. I'll see both of you tomorrow." She gave a pleasant smile and guided Shego to the door.

As soon as the door opened, Kim reacted the same way Shego had and perked up her head at the sound of the door opening. Shego motioned her head towards a door that led down a flight of stairs to a pharmacy. A pharmacy that didn't discriminate against infamous villains.

Down the flight of stairs their steps echoed lightly that caused Shego to realize something, _Bat ears._ "How much did you hear?"

Kim was reluctant to answer but forced herself with a soft voice, "Most of it. You're doing a lot for me."

"I wasn't complaining and I'm not hiding anything from you. I didn't-"

"You didn't want me to worry. I get it."

"I need to know," a brief pause, "do you want to take a break from school?"

"I'll lose my scholarship."

"I've got the money, Kimmie." It hadn't occurred to her yet that Kim taking a leave of absence might be suspect to a particular government agency.

"I can't stop."

"I need you to be honest with me, did school help you? Does it?"

Kim hesitated, "Yes."

"Kim?"

More firm, "It helps."

Both of them rounded the corner into the pharmacy but Kim instantly backpedaled.

"Kim, what's wrong?" Shego's eyes darted around and looked for any signs of provocation, danger, and the like.

"I'm okay, it's just…"

Shego was still searching, "What is it?"

"DNAmy is in there. I-I can't go in there. Not after what I did. I-I mean, it-it wasn't so bad, but th-the implication was."

Shego grabbed her shoulders gently, "Kimmie, I'm right here. She can't do anything to you and you know both of us could take her out if she tries anything."

"No, it's not that. I-I have to apologize. It was really wrong. I should have thought of another way, she wasn't even planning anything at the time. She-she's probably here _because_ of me."

"Calm down, calm down. Look, if you saying sorry is going to help, I'll start off and you can come in and apologize. Alright?" Shego was really trying to be a better person for her.

Kim looked at her and swallowed, "Okay."

"Stay here a sec." She walked towards Amy and reluctantly explained that Kim and her were on more than just good terms, and ultimately, why she had to explain that Kim wanted to apologize. But because Shego needed to protect Kim and herself, she became more intimidating. Kim saw Shego light up a fist towards Amy. It was to threaten her that if word got out that Shego was turning good, she had no problem correcting that train of thought. Kim didn't think that was necessary and rushed in. Shego extinguished immediately and looked around to see if she was at all noticed. Amy immediately flinched at the presence of Kim. Not at the fist but at Kim.

"Shego, that's not necessary." She looked sorrowful at Amy, "I'm sorry. I was never going to feed your dog-bears bricks of chocolate. I would never." Shego almost snorted a laugh. "I'm sorry I broke into your home, what I did was sick and wrong."

"Why?" Amy worriedly asked.

"I just wanted a vacation without interruptions. I _just_ wanted one vacation with someone really special. And it was ruined anyway. I thought… I thought I could build my rep-"

"Kim, she doesn't need to know that. You apologized. Come on." Shego insisted.

Amy insisted on clarifying, "Why are you here?"

Kim opened her mouth to speak but was cut off my Shego stepping forward, "Why are you?" Shego was getting agitated, "It's not your concern. Butt out."

"Meanie!" Amy stuck her nose up and away and sat down in a chair far away waiting for her scripts to be processed.

Kim and Shego walked to the drop-off counter and waited on the opposite side of the room. Kim spoke quietly, "You didn't need to do that."

Shego replied in the same manner, "I did, it's none of her business and I don't want you getting anxious again."

"Still…"

"Have you forgotten who I am?"

Kim sighed, "Of course not."

"Do you want me to change who I am?"

"No, Shego, stop." Kim's mind was racing. She needed a nice, calm environment. She had almost forgotten what she'd done to the grocery list of villains.

"I'm a born bitch. It doesn't come with an off switch."

"Okay, okay," a breath, "Why do you hate her so much?"

Shego tightened a corner of her mouth and mildly grunted after thinking about it, "She's just annoying. I had to work with her, it was agonizing. Everything with her was sunshine and sprinkles."

"Except for the fact that she's… here."

Shego groaned at the fact, "I'm not apologizing Kimmie. Only you get that privilege."

Kim tightened a corner of her mouth and just decided to let it go. She slipped her hand into Shego's. It made her feel better, calmer. It made sitting with Shego more real.

Shego suddenly stumbled upon a thought, _Wade needs someone like her. The serum. DAMN IT! I don't trust her. She'll turn me into some kind of tiger-panda. But maybe if I get Kim to look into it without her knowing what it is… no, she'll still ask questions. Think, think, think._

"Prescription ready for Hall!" A pharmacist shouted over the counter.

Shego received a staring glare as Amy walked to the counter. Shego rolled her eyes. Time was running out. Amy paid and started towards the exit. Shego was still undecided, _Damn it, damn it, damn it._ "Kimmie, I'll be right back. Wait here, like two minutes."

Kim was perplexed and watched Shego follow Amy out the door before she could speak a word. She was alone again.

~oO0Oo~

Shego caught up with her, "Wait."

"Pff, why should I? Big meanie."

Shego's neck muscles instantly tensed at the childlike name calling. She ground her teeth together, "I want to… apologize."

"Hmm? Apologize? Well, let's hear it."

Shego took a few breaths to calm herself, "I'm… _sorry_."

"Hm. Maybe you're not such big bad meanie, after all," she considered.

Shego shuddered, "I also want your help with something… important"

"And what's that?"

"I can't discuss that here. Look, if you're interested, I can give you money, a-a-a bigger playpen for your…" Amy glared at her, making sure she was choosing her words carefully. "...children. What is it you want?"

"Well…" She dragged the word for almost an eternity, "There is one thing."

 _I just left Kim alone. What the fuck is wrong with me?_ "Hold that thought. I have to get back. You know what? Here," Shego grabbed a pen off of Amy's shirt and scribbled a number and handed both the pen and paper back to Amy, "Text me later." Shego hurried back and her voice trailed off as she headed back into the pharmacy from the hallway.

Shego sat back down next to Kim who was more than curious, "What was that about?" Kim felt a little abandoned.

"Would you believe me if I went to apologize?" She smiled innocently as she could.

Kim glared with a squint, "I hear the sincerity, but disbelieving it. You either got better at lying or you needed something."

 _What are you? A damn detective?_ "Pumpkin, I will answer one question, if you promise not to ask any more until we get better. I promise you, I'm not hiding, it's just not the right time."

Kim paused with her curiosity burning, but she knew Shego was right, it wasn't the right time. "Fine. Don't worry about it." The disappointed tone didn't abate Shego's worries but it was enough to stop the conversation. They waited in silence for what felt like an hour but had only been twelve minutes.

"Go! Possible!" The pharmacist shouted. Shego walked up, paid, and grabbed the bags. She headed out the door with Kim and went home.

~oO0Oo~

Home was quiet. Neither spoke on the way back. It wasn't anger or resentment that kept them from talking, there was just nothing left to say. They both went to the kitchen and began reading their prescriptions. Shego wasn't even sure if hers were going to have any effect. Shego got a glass of water for Kim and casually placed it in front of her. Before Kim could open any of her bottles, Shego looked in her eyes, "I'm not forcing you. If you don't want to, I won't force you. But… but it might help."

Kim gave a slow nod, "You aren't forcing me." Kim eyed her dose for a moment; the two pills in her hand were going to take her into the unknown. "Just make sure I'm still me in the end." She took the pills immediately and began her long journey of either piecing herself back together or losing more of what she thought was left.

"She told me it could be two weeks-"

"Before I feel any different, I know, Shego. And if I want to stop, I have to wean myself off. She told me."

"Yeah." After a long pause, "I'm gonna make some lunch."

"I'm not hungry." She lied. She was but Kim didn't want to go through the effort of eating, chewing, swallowing. Even breathing required much effort and she resorted to a lot of heavy sighs. "I'm going to lie down."

Shego nodded silently. She knew not to push her right now. Kim needed to be monitored but left alone. "I'll make extra just in case, but if you're still not hungry, no big." Kim just silently walked away. Shego closed her eyes a moment and took a breath. She hated watching Kim suffer like this and having her fall apart so suddenly was a shock. It was more than understandable but she seemed so in-control before the weekend. Shego cursed herself for not seeing it sooner, for believing she was ready to immerse her into training for a mission only months after the incident. She tried to blame Kim's usual charm that convinced her she was okay but Shego knew there were other signs.

It didn't matter right now. Now, she needed Kim to eat without forcing her. She needed something aromatic and full of flavor. Something spicy. Chole bhature. It was timely but worth it to make from scratch. The house would fill with the flavors of numerous spices and the chilies would keep an appetite going. Kim would have no choice but to fall in Shego's trap.

~oO0Oo~

Kim stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. _I should study. I should run. I need to eat._ All of her thoughts ignored as her body just refused to move. _I should apologize. I'm making everything difficult for everyone. Other people have it harder than you, just stop whining and get up._ Her thoughts were circular and often repeated. This wasn't rest, she was tormenting herself. Then the arguments in her head came. _I'm tired. Who isn't? I save people, I deserve a little rest. You didn't save THEM._ She slammed a fist into the mattress and tensed at her thoughts. The pain swelled in her hand again. She sighed heavily, pushing all the air out of her lungs. She tried desperately to shake the thoughts away. _I couldn't, I didn't know. I didn't KNOW!_ And then the sound of _his_ voice took over. _I thought anything was possible._ His shrill laugh filled her head. "SHEGO!," she closed her eyes tightly and howled, "SHEGO!" In a flash, Shego was up the stairs and in the bedroom. "SHE-"

"I'm here!"

The woman fell into Shego's arms and cried, "I'm sorry," she sobbed harder, "I'mm so s-sorry!" She gasped for breath, "I'M SORRY! I couldn't be there! HOW DO I TELL THEM!?" She screamed as hard as her lungs would let her. "How? I wasn't there- I wasn't there for them!"

Shego didn't say anything, she couldn't. She was watching her love writhe in pain and it wrung her heart to no end. Shego tried not to let her own tears fall and sniffed hard as if to inhale the liquid back into her eyes. She realized she was watching Kim blame herself for what happened in Belize. _How could she blame herself?_ Shego tried her best to be the rock she needed right now and had let her bellow into her arms. Her dark hair fell over Kim's shoulders like a protective curtain.

Kim's cries slowly became softer and her breaths gradually became less sporadic. "I'm," she swallowed, "I'm sorry, Shego."

Shego tightened her arms around Kim, "There is nothing you could do to me that would warrant an apology."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for putting you through this," she gasped, "I'm so sorry."

"I'll always be here for you, always and gladly, Kim." She couldn't hold back her tears any longer and they seeped from her eyes. _I wish I could make it better for you. I want to make everything better for you! Please, please get better._ She held Kim until she had let it all out.

Kim let out a heavy sigh and then sniffed hard, "It smells good," she said behind a frail voice.

A weak, sorrowful smile fought Shego's frown and a shaky breath released a huff, "Heh, help me make it before I burn the house down? The stove is still going." She palmed her eyes and wiped the wet from her face while Kim just used her shoulder to do the same.

Kim nodded and spoke softly, "Okay."

~oO0Oo~

"For the last time, Ron, she's not brainwashing Kim." Wade tried to console his friend to the best of his abilities while coding new procedures for the next task. The man, yes, man - despite his age - had more responsibilities than most people had in their entire careers. He was lead tech engineer, software developer, and R&D supervisor for both communications and weapons defense. The bags under his eyes had more storage than a walk-in closet. And now, Ron, in charge of training the very small team of allies was at it again.

"You know what this is, don't you?" Ron inquired as if it was obvious.

"A misinformed conspiracy based on not accepting the fact that Shego may actually be good?" Wade's typing was almost rhythmic.

"No. That's silly. It's that everyone will follow Shego to the ends of the Earth with the belief that she's gone good with the exception of one guy who is forced to tag along, _me_ , but was right all along about Shego's plans to take over the world with Kim beside her with a remote… mind control… thingy." He waved his hands in the air and imitated pressing a button on an invisible remote above his head.

Wade stopped typing. "You're making this really hard, Ron, and it doesn't have to be. We really need your help. Can you just…," he looked up at Ron from behind the monitors, "Ron, when have I been wrong?"

"Well… umm… what if you're mind controlled too?" Wade immediately pounded a fist on the table out of frustration. It caused his keyboards and everything else on it to bounce. "I'm-I'm sorry Wade. I didn't mean it."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm tired and I just have a lot of work." He paused, "I'm going to take a break." He rested a hand on Ron's shoulder. The younger man acted more like an adult, forced into maturity by circumstance, and innocence ripped from his soul. 'Don't show Ron', that's what he was made to promise. He patted Ron's shoulder once and went to his room in Drakken's underground lair.

Wade had told his parents he was working for NASA and would require long hours working on the next advanced, interplanetary satellites. If only that were the truth. He spoke with them under the guise of a fake background from time to time. The charade would have to do for now.

Ron was told very little of what was going on. Only that GJ was an enemy, or rather, some sectors were and that Kim was a target. To Global Justice's credit, they did do good work. It was good propaganda. Everything that they hid from the public, however, was drastically inhumane. Everytime he asked about Kim, the response was the same, 'she isn't ready yet, soon, I promise'. He just wanted to talk to his best friend. Just say 'hi'. But, he did as he was told because he trusted Wade even though his mind screamed 'lies!'

Ron didn't fully accept Shego despite working with her for a few months. The whole situation just didn't seem plausible to him. Yes, prior to recent events, Shego did and always had the ability to kill both Kim and himself and she didn't, he reasoned. She still has that power now, of course. But some people like to hurt others slowly, toy with them. And Kim was plenty hurt after a mission against Shego. It's unforgivable. And yes, Shego had saved Kim's life in the past, but he figured it was for her own benefit in some way. Kim is all about favors, perhaps Shego thought she could use that against her. The logic was solid in Ron's mind. And why not, stranger things have certainly have happened. Having to know of Drakken at all was bizarre, but now he's working with him; ludicrous. Ron's brain was always cranking away at the logic of it all: Shego _working for_ Drakken; Drakken may, in actuality, be a genius; Drakken … not evil; Shego suddenly the _love_ of Kim's life. The latter had stung and all of it was just a pot of boiling confusion-soup. And the secret ingredient was that everyone else was accepting it like the past was only trivial altercations. How did he not get the memo?

Ron couldn't put a finger on how he was feeling, but 'hurt' was certainly one that was sticking out. He's her best friend after all. At least, he thought he was.

oO0Oo

James was in his lab and stared at a simulation demo that looped on his monitor. He wasn't really looking at it. It was more of an unfocused stare into nothingness. He broke from his trance when his wife entered, reacting to the sound of the door clicking open. With a quick flinch he turned to her with a pursed smile. He rubbed his eyes with a hand, pushing his glasses to his brow.

"New test simulation?" She asked knowing full well he hadn't been focussing on anything but their daughter. She decided to take a 'sick' day for the same reason.

"Yeah, I was just um… it um-"

Anne huffed gently and looked at him with the same emotional worry he had, "You've been worrying."

He nodded slowly. He cleared the applications on his PC and brought up bookmarked web pages about PTSD. Not just about how to help people with the disorder but self-help on how to cope with a loved one that has it. He pointed to the screen, "It says on number four, 'Anticipate and manage triggers'." His eyes watered the moment he ended the sentence. "Look-look at this one, 'Don't pressure your loved one into talking.'" There was a catch in his throat. "And, 'do your best to stay calm'." He paused a moment, "We were so angry at her." His breath shook, he placed his glasses on the table, and buried his face into his hands.

Anne winced and felt just as guilty. She placed a hand on his back, "We'll do better," she said softly.

"What if we're a trigger now? What if we can't see her because-" a catch, "because everytime she sees us-"

Ann disagreed with an intensity in her brow as it knitted tightly. The mere notion was offensive and she defended quickly, "We aren't a trigger. I refuse to believe that. You're being ridiculous. Did you read how to help yourself? I have. The best we can do for her is to make sure we're okay so we can be there for her. We won't make this mistake again."

He nodded into his hands with a deep breath and exhaled his reply, "Okay." He looked up at his wife, "I want to help her. I mean… I want to fight with her."

"Oh honey, this is beyond-"

"I can't help her on the field but I can protect her. Go tower has almost everything I need. I could get the boys to help out and they'd never leave this place."

She was angrily incredulous, "I don't want to involve any more of our kids! I don't want HER fighting. I _NEVER_ wanted that!" Her voice trailed with accusations.

"I didn't push for it either, Anne," he defended but attempted to neutralize what was eventually going to be a blame game, "Shego was right, Kim would have found a way even if we didn't allow her." They both felt defeated, nearly hopeless .He pressed on, however, "I can take a leave of absence from work. Shego's family basically gave us free room and board."

"At the expense of losing our actual home."

"Are you really against this?" He looked up at her waving a hand in her direction.

"No. Yes… no, it's… I don't know. Everyone involved is so different. You saw Mego and Hego. After Shego showed up, they're doing nothing but training, at least that's what they tell us. They're pushing themselves hard like they preparing to die in a war. I'm scared. What the…," she hesitated, "just what the _fuck_ happened?" She pulled up a chair and sat, "What are we going to do?" She folded her arms and shut her eyes.

"Anne. I'm scared too, but I'm not doing any good by doing nothing when I can. Shego's been using Kim's ship. It was supposed to keep Kimberly safe on her missions. It was so that she wouldn't have to borrow a ride all the time. But that ship is keeping them safe, I can _do_ more."

"I know why you built it. I know you can do more. I just don't want to lose you too."

"You didn't lose anyone! Kim is still here!"

"You know what I mean! She's there, but she's… she's different."

"She's still our daughter."

"I know that! And I'm not saying she isn't!" She was getting angry and looked at him sternly, "I don't want you preparing to die like everyone else! I don't want you killing yourself because you don't think it was good enough! I don't want you to push me aside for this… _mission_! I don't want to be alone! You guys are all I have!"

James got up and approached her. He took a moment and spoke softly, "I'm not leaving you, no one is." He wrapped his arms around her, "I'll make it work." She shuttered a cry at his decision to continue. "I'll talk to Shego, but I can't do nothing."

She gripped him tightly, "You asshole." She hugged him tighter, "Leave the boys out of it. You can't have them."

"I won't ask them, I promise."

oO0Oo

Shego looked up at Kim from the dinner table, "See, you made it and it's still great." Both had finished their food and Kim was returning to the table after placing her plate in the sink.

"I deep fried dough that you already prepared. I hardly helped," she sat across from her and held a glass of water between both her hands with elbows on the table. It had become clear to her that she needed to be occupied at all times. She wouldn't be able to rest alone and she wouldn't be able to cope alone. At least, not until she was able to habitually suppress her poisonous thoughts. Her mood had significantly improved but toxic thoughts still lingered.

"I didn't want to get burned by oil splatter, you helped."

" _You_ get burned?" Kim looked at her with an uncertain disbelief.

Cooking and certainly eating had helped lift her spirits.

"Hey, I don't use my powers _all_ the time. I can get burned," she defended.

"Well thanks for putting me on the front lines of that very dangerous duty," she pulled a corner of her mouth into a smile briefly.

"After years of dealing with me, I figured you built up a tolerance." She smiled back, glad to see a bit of life in Kim's eyes again.

Kim gave pause a moment and spoke shyly, "So, what's the plan tomorrow?"

"Well… if you're really up for it, we'll head to school tomorrow, together. Otherwise, you stay here under Mego's and Wade's watch."

"Mego?"

"He's more than happy to help, Kim. Even if I told him not to, he'd still try to support us."

"Was he here today?"

"Yeah, apparently chasing squirrels… I promise though, you're in good hands."

"I'm not worried about that. Please tell him 'thank you' for me."

"You can call him if you want." Shego shrugged, "Just make sure it's through your Kimmunicator. You can talk to anyone you want, I just don't want to upset you." Shego berated herself internally for sounding overprotective.

Kim was going to ask 'why would it', but the answer seemed obvious enough as it would always lead to reminding her of what they were working towards. She decided to avoid the whole conversation and simply dismantled it with a simple, "Okay." Shego wasn't sure how to take that, but accepted it anyway. Kim gave yet another silent pause, sipping away her water and slowly looked to the window. It was still relatively light out and the weather was surprisingly fair for the month, "Can we go for a run… outside?"

The question caught Shego off guard, "Um," she thought, "yes… in about a half hour. Let me just-"

"Make sure it's safe?"

"...Yeah."

 _I am such a burden._ "How long am I going to be this much trouble?"

Shego quickly attempted to extinguish the thought, "You aren't trouble. Just gimme a quick sec, we might be able to go sooner, I want to go for a run too."

Kim sighed, "Right."

~oO0Oo~

With athletic gear worn and Wade set up with a drone that hovered high over the neighborhood, they peered out the window before heading out. Shego looked around briefly, "Where to?"

Kim took a breath, "You said they were watching us, where?"

Shego reminded her, "We can't engage."

"I never said we were. I just want to know where."

"Water tower and a few satellite surveillance. We could knock them out but they'll just put new ones up that'll be harder to jam. For now, all they can do is observe. We see what they see and more." Kim was silent and began taking off the bandages around her hands alarming Shego in the process. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not letting them see my hands bandaged. They'll know something happened." Kim turned to the stairs, "I need to get something." Never show the enemy weakness but Shego still didn't like it. Kim could get an infection, she could damage her hands further especially after grinding her fingers into Mallory's couch. Kim returned with fingerless gloves that were primarily used for gripping weights. It was never needed for a run but it was the next best thing to cover up her swollen hands. "Let's go down towards the right. I'll lead, just make sure you can keep up this time."

Shego was glad to hear her joke, "Pff, this time? I believe someone had quite the head start _last time_."

"I was slow in the beginning, you never caught up." A faint smirk.

Shego scoffed at her, "Are you suggesting something, Pumpkin?"

Kim wasn't really in the mood to joke but the words just seemed to come on their own, "I'm just saying, you might just want to push yourself harder. It's not like you're as young as me anymore." Shego, speechless. Kim, equally as dumbfounded. Kim bit her bottom lip to stop a rising smile and inched her way to the door while Shego was still in shock. It wasn't until Shego's eyes began to narrow did Kim begin to quicken her pace to open the front door and sprint out of it.

Shego shook her head and was determined to show Kim what a real punishment was, "You better believe you're getting punished for that!" She gave chase out the door but suddenly stopped to backpedal to the front door to close and lock it. She sprinted as hard as her legs allowed to catch up.

Kim couldn't believe it, "I'm sorry!" Kim took the briefest of moments to scan the area.

"Don't care!"

Kim looked over her shoulder briefly and then pushed herself to run faster at the nearing presence of her angry girlfriend, "I didn't mean it! It just came-" a gasp to catch her breath, "OUT!"

A few moments to breath, "I believe I said, DON'T CARE!" Shego was nearing Kim with a deepening grin. Her prey in sight and it was only a matter of time

Despite her amazing pace, Kim felt she could maintain her speed. At least long enough to go around the neighborhood. She dodged some slippery spots. Freezing temperatures the night before accumulated a fair amount of ice that the warmer weather that day had not completely melted.

Both their mouths heaved forceful. gusting clouds of their breath in the mildly cold air. Sweat did little to cool either of their bodies and Kim was coming up on a large park. She slowed down to take in the scenery of pink clouds behind trees surrounded by fallen leave until she was suddenly collided with Shego who knocked her down into the field. She had actually pivoted so that Kim would land on her instead so she would not risk damaging her hands. The continuing momentum allowed her to roll once more so she could pin Kim down.

"You were _saying_ , Pumpkin?"

Kim pulled her into a hug, but it wasn't affectionate, she whispered while still catching her breath, "Did anyone…, did anyone new move into the neighborhood while I was in school?"

"What?" Shego was completely thrown off guard.

"I didn't recognize the man and woman clearing out the ice from their sidewalk on Capernelle street, who are they?"

Shego narrowed her eyes at the growing realization that this was more than just a run, "They checked out."

Kim began caressing Shego's back, but again, void of any affection, "That house wasn't on the market before I left for college. There's no way it sold that quickly."

"The previous owners-"

"Gerald and Laurie Loburn."

"Yeah, they got a big promotion across the country. It was a fast sale."

"Don't you think it's too fast?"

"I checked them out - inside and out, there's nothing there but normal."

"I want to meet them."

"Kim-"

"I _know_ all of my neighbors, Shego."

"Do it later. I thought you actually wanted to run."

"I needed to see… I needed to see how close they are." Kim kissed her. It was empty.

When they parted, "Is this just a show?"

A weak reply, "I'm sorry"

"And your little witless comment?"

"I was just as surprised as you. I didn't mean it." Kim softly smiled.

Shego got up and extended her hand to offer Kim up. Kim accepted her hand but Shego swiftly smacked her rear as soon she was pulled to a stand.

"OW! Shit!." Kim protected her posterior and frowned.

"You're weren't getting away without being punished," a small smirk appeared but vanished, "Are you alright? Do you still want to run?" her question revolved more around seeing if Kim wanted to investigate the rest of the neighborhood, "It's getting dark, Kim. Maybe we should head back?"

Kim looked around while stretching her back and legs. She displayed all signs that everything in her life was normal to any onlooker. "Sure." She checked her own pulse and nodded.

~oO0Oo~

The front door closed behind Shego as she and Kim both entered home. Before the run, Kim's mind had been racing but now she had a lingering thought, "How did you do it Shego?"

"Hm?"

"Check everybody. How did you cover everything so damn quickly without a team? I've only been gone a few months. This house, the upgrades, the surveillance, how?"

Although Shego mocked her smugness, she felt a little bit of it too, "I have resources. I never said I did it without a team. Impressed?"

"So you have a team?"

Shego looked to the side, "Not exactly…"

"Shego, come on!" Kim was really asking. She knew Shego wanted to keep things vague and generally lighthearted but Kim only wanted answers.

Playful beating around the bush was over, that much was clear now, "I _have_ resources. I have money. They go quite well together. There are people, teams of their own, that are very good with information. They just look, never act on their own. With the right price, however, they'll share. Wade helped with some of the digging to validate the information coming in but I have him doing a million other tasks. These resources…, helped. And the house, Kim, well you're not going to like who helped," Shego saw Kim get mildly agitated, "But don't worry! I managed everything..."

"Shego, just say it."

"Hench."

Every red flag, bell, and whistle immediately went off in Kim's head. Tingles of danger and worry washed over her, "Are you serious!? How can you assure anything here is safe! Do you have any idea what I did to him!?"

"Kim!"

"No! This place is a death trap! We have to get out of here! I have- I have to leave now!"

"Kim! Damn it! Listen to me!"

She was heading to the door but then immediately stopped, "What!?"

"He doesn't know this was your house. He dealt with _me_ and me alone."

"How do you know!? _Really_!? You don't think he dug up info on me? Where I live, what I do!? Shego, you can't be that stupid!"

"Hey! I oversaw everything, you have to trust me!" She tried to calm herself and looked directly in Kim's eyes, "Kim, it's safe."

Kim paced angrily in the room, muttering, "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it…"

"Kim come on."

"It's good my family isn't here. This place is probably rigged to fall on us." Kim began pacing worriedly.

"Stop it! I did my checks!" Her eyes trained on Kim's face.

"Like you did with Drakken's lairs that _blew_ up?"

"Those explosions were initiated you ASSHOLE! Fuck you! I'll take you to Go Tower then! _Or are you afraid_ I failed to check everything THERE when THAT was built!?"

Kim's head snapped to meet Shego's with a fury Shego hadn't seen in a long time, "I'M AFRAID OF EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING! THE FUCKING WIND STARTLES ME! FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU, SHEGO! Do you have any idea what it's like to know that you could die ANY minute!? Any idea to WANT to die but terrified how!?"

Shego cursed herself for not keeping things calm. She thought she should have just ate Kim's accusations. She thought she should have tried another approach. She tried to apologize, "I'm sor-"

Kim approached her, throwing her arms up at her, "I DON'T CARE! I will _never_ feel safe again. Everyone I know is in danger! The only way this ends is if I just _fucking die!"_ Kim pleaded, "It would be the KINDEST act if you _just_ let it happen! Just let me d-"

Shego screamed as hard as she could, " _I'M NOT LETTING THAT HAPPEN!_ " She breathed heavily with rage, tears welling up in her eyes. She balled her fist and gave one last outburst that shook the room, " _NEVER!_ " Her glow crept up her body and around her fists. A flicker of searing heat filled the room briefly.

It startled and shook Kim in her bones. She suddenly felt more vulnerable. Having been yelled at in such a way she wanted to cry right then and there. Silence came over both of them. Both slowly breaking down with shame, hatred…, love. Neither wished to be touched or left without embrace. They wanted to be alone, but at the same time, to be together. Both of them were tired, wanting to sit, but felt the need to literally stand their ground - uncomfortable in their frozen position and just stared at each other. They both wanted to yell that they hated the other, but it was so untrue that it couldn't be said. What then were they supposed to do?

Shego stepped closer to Kim cautiously while still holding a tearful scowl. As she was but a few feet away, Kim looked at her, trying desperately to remain composed. Her body trembled slightly to Shego's approach. Not so much out of fear of her but knowing that Shego was going to make her soften and fall apart.

Shego took a breath and spoke softly. Her voice throaty, "I'm not losing you. I don't care how much you'll hate me for it. I'm selfish and evil. But you're mine. I can't be without you. Never. I won't, Kim, I won't let you go."

Kim sniffed hard, "You're so stupid!" Tears flowed and she sniffed hard again, "So stupid." She slowly raised her arms and stepped forward to hug her. Her voice softened, "You stupid idiot."

"The dumbest." She returned the gesture with her own arms wrapping around Kim.

Kim hit her gently, "Don't agree with me."

"I'm sorry. Kim, I'm so sorry." She held her, "I'm sorry." This was not apology for never letting Kim go, it wasn't an apology for her outburst, it was sympathy for what Kim was going through.

"Stop it." Kim looked at Shego, "I'll never hate you. I'm just…"

"In pain." Shego took Kim's hands and realized they still weren't bandaged after the run. A small amount of dry blood had coated two of her fingers. The gloves must have opened her scabs. The coagulation stuck like tree sap. "Let me clean up your hands."

"I can do it." It was a reflex response. She also didn't want to be treated like she wasn't capable of doing anything.

"Let me at least help you take off the gloves." She nodded. They both went to the bathroom with a first aid kit. Shego made Kim sit on the toilet while she gently pulled the gloves off. They had actually absorbed more blood than she expected, but luckily, not enough to cause worry. After handing her wet gauze to clean the wound, Shego handed Kim antiseptic wash followed by a roll of bandages. The process was spent in silence.

When it was done, Kim whispered, "You didn't have to. I could have done it myself."

"I'm just assisting. You're better at it than I am anyway."

"I should… I should study." Kim's thought seemed rather abrupt but maybe it was a good idea. Shift gears from the dark and dreary.

"Okay… maybe I can see what we have in the house for tonight's dinner. Remember, we're cookin' together."

"...Yeah." Kim acknowledged and got up, "I didn't mean it..., about Drakken's lairs, I just didn't know how you do it. I really do trust you. I'm… I'm sorry."

"It was a good fight, we'll have more." Kim huffed a shallow laugh. Shego continued, "Punching me in the face would have been better though."

Kim softly hugged her, "Next time," and walked off to her room.

Shego went off to the kitchen to see what food she had left but her Kimmunicator on the table was flashing. She went to take a look and saw seventeen messages, "What the hell?"

* * *

I know I've said this before but I'm going to try to get this back to two week schedule. I've started a new job and life's been busy. Other note, I know this story has pretty much beaten Kim's problems to death and I'm sure it seems like overkill. Just keep in mind, PTSD sucks. Apologies for the heavy dialogue. Chapter 10 is better. Stick with me if you can, I'm seeing the evolution of my writing and sorta figuring out how to fix a lot of the problems I've been running into but it's a struggle.

Last note, this chapter was kind of a subtle (hopefully subtle) way of detailing self-help. Everyone is different, everyone has their own coping mechanisms, but if anyone suffers: eating healthy food, getting proper rest, staying away from triggers, stay distracted and busy (don't burn yourself out though), music, try to ground yourself as often as possible. The more you do it the easier it will be to continue.

I know, first hand, that depression is addicting and it's so tiring to try to fight it. But like I said, the more you push to force that toxicity away, the easier it will get. It's like a muscle you need to work out.


	10. Chapter 10

~oO 10 Oo~

A monitor played footage of Shego's chase in the dense Middleton neighborhood. Rewound and played again. Something was off but Betty couldn't place her finger on it yet. It looked like a playful chase. The tackle was too easy but that wasn't what was off. Kim looked happy. Same as the footage captured from the security cams at Kim's university; like Belize was just 'no big'. No one could shrug off what she did. This acceptance bothered Betty to no end.

Questions circled in Betty's mnd. Did Kim really give up her hero gig? Her site was no longer operational. It had only provided a generic message that she'd be enjoying normal life as a student and possibly working towards a career in bioengineering. The site gave no other details. Her family and friends were only seen in very public places and then they'd disappear only to reappear elsewhere without any evidence of transit. It was clear stealth was used and obviously it was Shego's doing - it had to be. But how much did the others know? Had Shego really been keeping her promise? Did she really not care of GJ's dark projects so long as Kim was safe? The amount of effort Shego was going through for Kim was ludacris. How much longer could she keep it up?

 _How the hell did I get into this mess?_ The question was almost a mantra each time Betty checked on Kim's and Shego's status. She knew the answer all too well already but the question was just a habitual response to how much deeper of a hole she was digging herself into. And to think, at one time, GJ was only to align with justice.

It was a whimsical pipe dream. Special agents to detain the world's super-powered villains with ingenuity, technology, and careful, tactical precision. And for the most part, that was working quite well. The problem, unfortunately, didn't rear its head until unique, private prisons were required to contain said criminals. Each unique power required a unique facility. Enemy allies would often be the ones to break out said criminal and cost more damage than it took to build the facility. Yes, costs were an issue.

And then came along 'Satan's Teacher', or rather, his father, Dontler Adolrumf. A vile man who dealt with arms and weapons trade with a side service of providing torture houses. Or, to Betty's knowledge at the time, readily available prisons designed to take in the world's worst. Had Betty not been so desperate for a solution, she might have investigated Mr. Adolrumf more thoroughly. She was thrilled to have been contacted with such a well suited plan. Why shouldn't she have been? The numbers worked out for her, the transfers were as easy as the swift marking from a pen, and above all, no additional management from GJ.

But justice was a fickle beast, especially when intended to run on a global scale. Resources quickly became too scarce to handle the size of all growing incidents. Being on the wrong end of a pointed finger for disasters, not enough time to develop new tech or tactics to handle new threats, and the lack of a sustainable framework failed to push Betty's agenda forward. She needed resources, staff, and of course, money.

Betty thought to enter the arms market. But she feared such weapons would be sold to soiled hands and that's when she had an idea. Sell vitiated machinery to any run-of-the-mill supervillain under a different secret organization - two birds, one stone. What could go wrong?

The plan seemed adequate. She'd capture and imprison the villains at reasonable ease, be praised by the 'good' work, and then throw them back into society to repeat the process. It allowed Betty to focus more on the real terrors and cut down on her usage of private prisons. This cut costs even further, that was, until Mr. Adolrumf realized he was losing GJ's investment. And technically, Betty was becoming a competitor in arms trade. That needed to be fixed, he thought, and quickly.

What Betty didn't know about Mr. Adolrumf was that he was more than just a businessman. He was a terror of his own. A terror that GJ should have locked away, should have disposed of, should have never associated themselves with. But it was too late. Betty was in far too deep and and he made it very clear that too much was going against her and the organization for her to compete.

Mr. Adolrumf had kept tabs on her. Teams had been set up to investigate everyone she associated with. He brought to light every bad deed and failure she had ever done with Global Justice. The arms trade was just icing on the cake. The publicity alone would be enough to take her organization down, but legally, she would either have to continue working for Mr. Adolrumf or spend the rest of her life in one of his prisons. Prisons that were brought to her attention immediately upon Betty asking to reduce her association with him.

Will Du interrupted her thoughts, having entered her office with the briefest of knocks. Betty was appalled by his sudden entrance, "Agent Du, why are you barging into my office?"

As stiff as a board, he answered, "Ma'am, we are getting a long list of reports that many villains want the same opportunity to reenter society as the villain Shego. We don't know where to process these reports."

She craned her neck, "You needed to barge into my office to tell me this?"

"I… the department was… getting overwhelmed and…," he took a breath, "it won't happen again."

She calmed and leaned back in her chair to give him her attention, "How many?"

"Ma'am?"

"How… many… villains?" She enunciated each word.

"Forty-three."

Intrigued, "I see. Hand me the reports." He did immediately. Dr. Director looked them over, "Good work Agent Du. I'll handle these from here."

~oO0Oo~

Eight text messages were from Ron, five from Amy, two from James, one from Anne, and finally, one from Wade. Shego checked the messages in the order of priority - Wade first.

|Can we please give Ron a little more info? He's theorizing again. I'm going to get a few hours sleep.

Her reply:

|I'll talk to the buffoon. Get a full eight hours, I'll talk to you in the morning.

Then she hesitated over Ron's message, but decided to skip his until later. Next was Kim's mother.

|You can't take my boys! I won't allow it Shego! Stay away from them. It's bad enough my husband wants to be involved. You leave my boys out of it!

 _What the fuck is she talking about?_ Shego shook her head and moved on to Kim's father.

|I can help. I built the craft you're flying everywhere. That's supposed to be Kim's by the way! Shego, you can use me, I can help. SHE'S MY DAUGHTER!

|I'll apologize to him, Lipsky, I know he still holds a grudge.

 _I can't deal with him right now._

|I'll think about it. Think about how Kim doesn't want YOU involved.

 _What would Kim want me to do? She wouldn't want him involved, but he wouldn't need to know anything, and it would be good to have another elite engineer on the team._ She dragged a hand down her face. _I'll discuss with Kim._ Before Shego could scroll back to Ron's message, James replied.

|SHE'S MY DAUGHTER! I'M SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER! NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. I don't have to know anything, I can just help!

Shego was getting quickly agitated.

|I SAID I'LL THINK ABOUT IT! We will have this discussion THEN.

Again, Shego hesitated over Ron's messages. It was going to be either irritating or overly emotional.

|Shego, yeah, hi, it's Ron. Um, can I talk to Kim please? I just want to know she's okay and I want to hear it from her. I miss hwe.

|her*

|Come on shego. This is so not fair!

|How can you expect me to train these recruits when you won't even tell me who we're fighting against.

|Did you brainwash wade?

|Would you tell me if you did?

|Wait, am I brainwashed?

|Okay, call me.

Shego let out a dreadful groan. "Whyyyyyyy?" She let out a sigh, took a breath and called Ron. Three rings and Shego's eye began to twitch at how long it was taking him to pick up.

He picked up on the fifth ring, "Oh, hey Shego, what's up?" His voice void of any pleasure in talking with her.

"What's… _up_? All you have to say is 'what's _up'_? What's wrong with you?" Shego didn't know what to expect after reading his numerous texts, but this, this was not a reaction she was expecting, "Why _else_ would I be calling!? You dimwit! Do you have any idea how hard this is for everybody? Not everything is about _you_. Out of everybody you have it the easiest. The least you could do is-"

"Easiest!?" His eyebrows furrowed. "I'm isolated from everyone like I'm some kind of reject. I've been extremely patient, you know, _going_ with the flow. No one will tell me anything except, 'it's better that you don't know'. That doesn't help anybody!"

"Ron-"

"I am a hair away from grabbing Wade and getting the hell out of here! I don't know what you did to him but-"

Shego gasped at this, "Don't! You don't know what you're doing! You'll ruin everything! Listen to me, you need to-"

Ron was getting tired of being told what to do, "And you! Where the hell did you even come from? Huh? How could Kim ever love you? After what you've done? You know, I've been holding this in for a long time. You've hurt her _so_ much and it was me and her mom that patched her up. You weren't there, applying the pressure on the wounds YOU inflicted. I don't know how you did it, but I'm _damn_ sure you tricked her."

"I didn't!" she snarled and tried to compose herself again, "I didn't trick her. We hid it from everyone."

"Well it's too bad you couldn't hide the three scars on her thigh that were a hair away from an artery. You could have killed her!"

"I'm sorry!"

"What did you say?" Ron broke from his anger somewhat. He thought it had to be a lie.

"I said… I said I'm sorry. I'm not the same person as I was when I did those things. I'll make up for it. I'm trying. I'm trying so hard to protect her, her family, friends, even _you_. She made me promise. I have to keep you in the dark. She told me that you can't know. You have to trust _her_. Ron, you know I don't beg, but I'm _begging_ you. We will tell you everything but we need more time." Shego's eyes shifted between pleading and demanding. Her expression alone tried so hard to convince him.

Ron was silent for a moment, "I want to talk to her."

Shego covered her eyes, frustrated with her ongoing battle from actually trying protect Ron from the sick to Kim breaking down, "It's _really_ not a good time. I don't want you to ask her about anything. She's not well. But we're getting help, okay? She misses you, too. She wants to call you, she's just afraid of falling apart. I'm afraid…, too. Just a little more time. Just… just don't do anything to put us all in danger. Look at me, I am _not_ fucking with you."

He rolled his eyes in one annoyed motion, "Fine." Ron was angry and was ready to hang up until Shego spoke again.

"I love her."

He scoffed, "Yeah, well, I know you think I'm just a big idiot. Everyone does. But this idiot has been her best friend since kindergarten. I've been in her life a lot longer than you have. _I_ love her. _I_ know her and _I_ know what _not_ to say," his voice trailed off, "I just wanted to say 'hi'."

Shego took a breath, "Look, she's studying now. When she's got a spare moment, I'll tell her to give you a call."

He sighed, "Goodbye, Shego," he hung up.

Shego muttered to herself, "I _cannot_ catch a break." She pressed her palms to her eyes and rubbed outwards in an attempt to blink away the stress.

"I guess you really can't." Kim walked into the kitchen.

Shego was startled, "Eh! Damn it, Pumpkin. Why aren't you studying?"

"Got distracted," she looked at Shego accusingly.

Shego slumped, "I'm sorry. He was asking a lot of questions."

"He'll come around. What are we cooking tonight?"

"Shit, I didn't even look, I…" Shego fumbled, "C-can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She shrugged, not feeling one way or the other.

"Did I really… almost… kill you?"

"I'm here now, aren't I?" another shrug, "It doesn't matter." Shego cringed hard. "Shego, we were both very different then, you know that."

"Even then…," her throat tightened and her face tingled with guilt and regret, "I never wanted to kill, I _never_ wanted that."

"You really didn't know?" Shego shook her head no. "Good, I'm glad." Kim gave a slight smile to her. A little relieved that, even then, Shego never actually wanted to go so far as to end someone's life. It affirmed that she really hadn't killed anyone innocent in her past, or at the very least, never had the intent if she ever had. She settled with the assumption that she hadn't. "Let me talk to Ron," Shego looked up but Kim continued, "I'm okay…, really. It's under control. You go find us something to cook slash eat tonight." Shego nodded and handed her the Kimmunicator in her hand. Kim went off to the couch in the family room.

Shego, again, dragged her hands down her face and then realized something. She still hadn't read Amy's messages and it was likely Kim was going to see them first. _Shit. It's fine. We were going to discuss it anyway._ She tried to get her mind off by actually doing what she initially wanted to do; find something to cook. She walked to the cabinets, the fridge, spice rack, and found that she was quite limited on options. _I really need to make Mego go out and restock. I better tell him._ Shego looked to her wrist to find it bare. _Doy! I gave it to Kimmie._ She grunted. "Well, it's going to have to be French toast s'mores." _I wonder if Kimmie still wants to eat it off me._ She huffed through her nose. She decided to get everything out and ready and wait for Kim to finish.

~oO0Oo~

 _I can do this._ Kim quick-dialed Ron. It took five rings before he picked up again.

"Yeah, Shego, I get it okay-" he gasped, "K! P!" His frumpy face immediately turned to shock then happiness.

"Hi, Ron," she said coyly.

He calmed, "Um, hi." He's wanted to talk to Kim for so long and couldn't really think of anything to say. "Um, how's it going?" He immediately facepalmed, knowing that she wasn't in the best of conditions, "You don't have to answer that."

"It's okay, Ron. And just so you know, I haven't been brainwashed. But, you should know, Shego _is_ our supreme overlord." She winked at him with a subtle smile but slowly retracted. "Ron, I know I have a lot to explain, but…," she quickly became stern, "you owe me my money back for that month of Naccos," her brows knitted.

Not expecting what was suddenly thrown at him, "What? Why?" He never really wanted to take her money in the first place, but it _was_ a month's worth of naccos.

"Shego told me you threw a box full of them at her." Kiim carried a disappointed expression. "You promised not to freak out!" She threw her hands up.

He did the same, "But it's Shego! You know, the woman that tried to _kill_ you."

"Ron…" Kim dragged his name out, "let me talk about it then. "

He really didn't want to talk about it but now was as good as any to hear the explanation from her, "As your friend, I will hear you out, but I make no promises it'll make any sense to me, Kim."

"Okay," she hesitated a moment and tried to find the right way to tell him, "We _were_ enemies Ron. And I won't lie, I really hated her. She seemed like the most evil, uncaring person - at first. The worst of my injuries from her were from that time. _But_ she soon realized something."

"What?"

She turned her nose up and spoke a teensy bit conceitedly, "I'm a badass and I can dish out just as much as she can. And on some occasions… more." Kim smiled. "She actually started crushing on me years ago."

Ron coughed, "Jailbait."

Kim snickered, "That's what _I_ said." She continued, "I, on the other hand, was still figuring myself out. And it was confusing…, morally." She paused a moment, "I am so sorry I hurt you. That I am who I am. I never wanted-"

"Kim, you don't need to do this again. I understand, okay? It's not necessary."

Kim swallowed her apologies, nodded, and continued, "I didn't know I liked her until I hurt her and she got real angry."

"Shego is always angry," Ron tried to distract himself with humor.

Kim laughed, "She's not! I got to know her during our little fights. We um, we often got really far from you so we could talk between jabs. Her innuendos became genuine flirts. It got really hard for me. I _had_ to keep it secret. I know I can tell you anything and everything Ron, I do, but this… was different. I was having a hard enough time already and I know you wouldn't be supporting this relationship if we hadn't already started something." Her eyes plead with Ron, but digressed, "Had some really good times, though. We um, some of those fights, involved more grappling than necessary, I really couldn't talk to you about those." Kim started blushing and immediately felt shameful realizing these words were probably twisting a knife in his heart, "She only got really angry when either Drakken called for help… or you got in the way."

"We're heroes, we're supposed to get in the way!"

"I know, I know, and you did a good job of it."

"Wait, wait, wait," he craned his neck and pointed at the camera, "Did you let her go when you could have caught her?"

"That's not important," her eyes shifted to the ground.

"Kim?"

Those eyes shot to the ceiling, "Okay! Like... three times… and _after_ we got whatever it was she stole at the time or destroyed whatever Drakken was building." She rolled her eyes, "So not the drama, Ron."

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Come on, Ron. She'll never admit it, but she let me capture her too. No one really got hurt."

"YOU DID, KIM! We were so scared. Don't you remember? You almost bled to death. I will _never_ forget that."

Kim covered her eyes at the remembrance, "That was _before_. She's changed. She didn't know. And I…" Her eyes drifted to floor blankly, "I've survived far worse," her voice softened as she forced herself to focus on the conversation in front of her, "She's making up for it, so I want you to be nice to her, okay? Please trust me."

Ron pursed his lips a moment, feeling frustrated and unable to comprehend how a relationship could begin with such a violent past. He then relaxed into a saddened frown, "I don't understand your relationship, but if you say she's changed, that she's good now, I trust you. Just so long as she makes you happy. But know this Kim, if she hurts you again, I will never forgive her. I don't even think I can for the stuff she's already done. But..., if she's making up for it, I'll try."

"Thank you, Ron. I promise, she's taking care of me, us… really everyone," She paused, "which I will talk about later."

He put up his hands, "I understand, I won't ask."

"Um, how have you been these past couple months? I'm sorry I didn't call, I just, I kind of needed to get away…," her voice trailed off. "I needed time."

"It's okay, I missed you is all. I'm not really used to not seeing you and it's weird." He fiddled with his hands, "But, I know we're still best buds and we'll see each other again."

"Yeah, definitely. And I'll talk to you more. I promise. I just need to work some things out. You know, get my head straight," Kim cleared her throat, "I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Oh…, yeah…, sure. Talk to you soon," he forced a smile and waved goodbye.

Kim did the same, "Bye," and signed off.

When the screen darkened, she felt uneasy. In the months apart, she realized they had very little to say. She looked around the room, unsure what to do with herself. It was a feeling of not wanting to get up or stay still. She thought about calling Wade, just to catch up with him as well, but after hearing that Shego was putting him on a 'million other tasks' she didn't want to bug him. She was also afraid to see how tired he'd be. She decided to try to message him instead, but soon realized it wasn't her Kimmunicator when she saw the messages to Shego. She read through Wade's, Ron's, her mom's and dad's messages, but not Amy's. They hadn't been read yet. Despite her concerns, she decided against reading them. She sat for a moment, ruminating over the messages briefly, and went to Shego who sat at the kitchen table with her eyes shut. Kim decided to make herself a little more audible by sliding her feet against the floor which caused Shego's ears to twitch at the approaching sound. Kim went behind her and gently wrapped her hands around her. She took a breath, "Here," she handed Shego's Kimmunicator back and kissed the back of Shego's head. She spoke calmly, "Employ my father, but keep him in the dark. Keep my brothers out of it entirely."

Shego stiffened, "Kim, I swear, I have no intent to involve your family, _especially_ your brothers." It was obvious she read the messages, "I don't know what your mom was talking about, I never asked."

"I believe you. I figure my mom was trying to preemptively get her message out before my dad suggested anything. He didn't, so it's fine. I only want you to let my dad help because he'll try to help anyway, even if you said no. It would be better if you guided him so he doesn't hurt himself or do anything that could endanger the rest of us."

Shego arched her head upwards to look at Kim looking down, "I promise, he won't know anything."

"Good."

"Um," Shego felt a little nervous asking, "what did Amy want."

"I was hoping you'd tell me. I didn't look." She walked around and sat across from her, "But you don't have to, at least, not now." She looked at her a little more intently, "But eventually."

Shego remained silent a moment and then spoke, "Can we wait? It may turn out to be a completely non-issue. Let's just try to get things as normal as we can." Her eyes seemed to plead with her.

Kim didn't want to wait but maybe Shego was right, sticking closer to normal is what she needed right now. "Alright," she dismissed, "So… what are we cooking?"

Thankful for the agreement, "Heh, well, pretty much all we have to cook right now is that kidney failure inducing breakfast again - French Toast S'mores. What do you think?"

Kim swallowed, "I am drooling."

Shego hummed a laugh, "Good. And for dessert, lettuce… because that's all we have for a salad."

"Sounds fine to me." Kim got up and approached Shego.

Shego was getting up to get started but was stopped by a sudden, seated hug. She thought to ask her why, but it wasn't necessary. She returned the hug in kind and enjoyed the contact just the same. "You're gonna study after we eat right?" Kim nodded. "Good, because I have no problem kicking your ass if you get behind."

Kim smiled, "I know."

~oO0Oo~

In Kim's room, "How are the accessibility tools working out for you?" Kim was studying at her desk and Shego just came up after cleaning the kitchen.

"Oh, I'm not using them."

"What? Kim! You need to take care of your hands or they won't heal." She gestured a hand at her.

"It's a giant pain, it's easier for me to just use two pencils," she lifted them to show, "and jab at the keyboard, which is what I'm doing."

Unconvinced, "How is that easier than speaking?"

She craned her neck, "Well, considering I'm not proficient in stopping myself from muttering 'no, wait, backspace, no, don't type backspace, damn it', this is easier."

A mild and deserving eye-roll, "Fine, I tried. But if it gets too bad," she pointed, "you're learning how to use it so you can HEAL."

A quick dismissive wave over her hand, "Yeah yeah, now shush, I'm getting into 'the zone'."

Shego raised a hand, "I'm shushing." Shego walked to the edge of Kim's bed and brought out a thick notebook from her nightstand. She flopped herself on the bed and began writing.

Kim glanced at Shego, "Whatcha' doin?"

A small huff, "What happened to that zone?"

"Fine. Don't tell me."

Shego smiled from the side of her mouth, "I'm considering a change to the course work for when I officially start next Monday. I'm thinking about using something a bit more visual so people can see various ways to 'crack a safe'. I need my students to be open to hacking so they know how to defend against it."

"You're really going to teach?"

"And why not? I'm being reinstated into society and I'm staying close to you. Besides, what were you expecting? I'd just let all the students ogle my ass for an hour and a half?"

"I'd sign up for that."

"Yes, I'm sure you would. Good thing you get that any time you want."

"Any time?" A raised brow presented itself as she jabbed at the keyboard.

"Mmm, within reason, of course. Like _after_ you're studying." Her tone was a little more demanding than suggestive.

Kim sighed, "Fine."

"Procrastinator."

"Succubus."

Shego's eyes narrowed, "Sloth."

"Poignant temptress."

"Teen!"

"Pff." Kim began to grin, "Cock…"

"Don't you say it Kimmie."

"Juggling…"

"I'm warning you!"

Kim went a whisper, "Thunder-cunt."

"That's IT! START RUNNING! SOMEONE'S GETTING A TOASTY ASS!" She lunged off the bed after Kim. Kim tried but couldn't quite leap out of the way and both her ankles were caught. Kim landed on her forearms and elbows to protect her hands and felt her body getting dragged towards her chuckling captor slowly. "Oh Kimmie, what were you thinking?" Shego brought her to her lap and firmly gripped the waistband on her back, "Now, what was it you called me again?"

"I called you a…"

Shego pulled her pants down to her thighs and playfully dragged her fingers over both cheeks, "Yes?"

Kim then felt heat increasing and cleared her throat, "My darling, understanding, intelligent, and beautiful love…?"

"Hmmm, I suppose that's acceptable. Are you going to focus on studying? You _know_ I'm very good with rewards as I am with punishments."

"Mm, is it weird that I like both?"

"Yes," she helped Kim back up to her feet, pulled up her pants, and hugged her, "Go study, we'll play later."

"By play, do you really mean sleep?"

"All depends on how late you plan on studying."

"Fine, fine, time to buckle down."

~oO0Oo~

After Kim spent the last six hours in front of her PC, she realized it was time to call it quits. She turned to Shego who was resting on the bed, eyes closed, and her notebook hugged under her arms. She was not quite sleeping but not quite awake either. Kim took a moment to gauge if she had enough energy to brush her teeth. She was at war with her eyelids fighting their damnedest to shut. After wrestling with the idea a moment, she pushed herself to get it done and then climbed into bed. With her weight shifting the bed slightly, Shego dumped her notebook on the floor without ever opening her eyes and held Kim close, as always.

Kim spoke once more before she went to sleep. The thought had lingered on her mind the whole evening. She spoke softly and gently, "I… I don't always feel scared. Like now..., with you, I feel safe," a beat, "I'm sorry about earlier. Sometimes I just lose control. Thank you for keeping me together."

Shego brushed a warm hand through Kim's hair, "Shh, sleep time is now, you apologizing is never." She felt Kim's face briefly with her hand to find her lips and kissed them. "I love you, always." She heated her hands once again and caressed Kim's shoulders sending a pleasurable shiver down her body.

"Damn it that feels good." Shego dragged her fingers over the edges and back of Kim's ears and if Kim could, she'd pur. In a few short minutes, she was out. Shego smiled and fell asleep along with her.

~oO0Oo~

"This whole thing is fishy Will. Don't you think so?" Agent Cynthia Tai asked across her desk, parallel to his in the open floor plan. A few remaining agents were making their way out the door for the night. A rare occurrence when terrorist attacks were at an unusual low. But that was a good thing.

Du was dismissive, "That's not for us to discuss."

"So…, you don't care?" Her incredulous look bothered him.

"I didn't say that." Again, he was dismissive and he didn't want to further the conversation. He wanted to output better information for his superior as he was asked.

"Well, you kind of just did. What's with you, Will? I know you're her pet and all but even you have to think this case is strange."

"First of all, I am not her _pet_ ," his brows knitted when he looked at the agent parallel to him. "And second, there is nothing strange about investigating the relations of a high class _villain_ with a…" he loosely waggled his hand in front of him as if to grab the right words from them, "mediocre hero."

"HA! Mediocre huh? Didn't she show you up multiple times, Mr. 'I'm top agent'?"

"Enough, I don't have time for this!" His voice was raised, but it wasn't a bark. He kept reminding himself a good agent keeps a good temperament.

"Calm down, Will. I don't question your skills, but Kim is far from mediocre." She swiveled her chair to him, "All I'm saying is, we're investigating a hero who's never used stealth just to go to from point A to B before and is now doing it constantly. She used to be in her dorm and now she's not, and yet, still attending classes. This case has been put on high priority to a select few and yet we can't go near her. I thought she wanted a job here. It doesn't concern you a little?" He was silent with the exception of a disapproving grunt. "Fine. Just think about it. I have a feeling this is bigger than we assume. And you know how right I am about what I feel, don't you?" She rolled her chair nearer to him and batted her eyes, "Hmm?"

"Stop. We agreed, not at work."

Cynthia rolled her eyes, "No one's here. We're the only one's working tonight." She then grinned, "When are you getting off?"

"Cyn, don't," his face began to redden.

She craned her neck, "Come on, say it."

Will looked around nervously and leaned in to speak quietly, "When…"

"Yes?"

He spoke as quiet as he could above a whisper, "When you get me off." He buttoned his lip and turned away shamefully to the sound of Cynth snorting into laughter.

"That's right." She came to a whisper in his ear, "Good boy." She returned to her desk, "Now finish up whatever you're doing so we can get out of here. Two of our nights have already been ruined by this crap."

~oO0Oo~

"I don't recall, Will, but I have a faint memory of someone raising their voice to me." Cynthia looked to Will with a whip in her hands. She let the multiple tassels run through her hands before dragging them across Will. He was bound to the wall in their single bedroom apartment with arms above his head. He was positioned slightly lower than her and was forced to look up at his master.

"-ess," the gag could only allow so many consonants.

"Hm. I see. Who was it Will?"

He took a few breaths before answering. "-muhee."

"What was that?" He took a few more breaths, anticipating his punishment, slowly getting aroused by the thought. His hesitation earned him a strike to the chest and allowed a sharp but muffled moan to escape. "Answer your master!"

"-muheee. -ish -muhee." His chest reddened slowly and his breaths quickened.

"You pathetic worm. How am I to punish you if you enjoy this so much?" She draped the whip behind his neck and his breaths calmed. She looked and stared into his eyes, "Beg."

He shivered and moaned his words, "PUH-leef! PUN-uh ME!"

"Hmm, good." She whipped his thighs and made him moan in ecstasy. "I never said to stop begging! Now b-beg…" Cynthia broke character, "Baby, I'm sorry, I'm not feeling it. This case is really wracking my brain."

He let out a loud disappointed groan, "-ho cose -um uggghhhnn!"

"What? Hang on." She unbuckled his gag and took it away.

He sighed and was frustrated, "I'm so close, come on. Cyn, please just finish it, I can't take this." His face reddened.

"Ugh, fine." She lubed one hand and dug her nails into his thigh with the other. In a few short moments he received his glorious release. "Can you just agree that something isn't right?"

He was left a bit breathless, "I agree, that could have lasted longer."

"Will, I'm serious. It's blatantly obvious a 'villain' is protecting Kim… her family… her friends."

"Cyn, untie me."

"I looked into the villains Kim took care of…" she looked at Will, "by herself, and none of them want anything to do with her ever again."

"Cyn?... Untie?"

"There _are_ a couple people I still need to look into, but Will, I don't like where this is leading me."

"Cyn! Either use that damn accessory you expertly know how to use or untie me this instant!" Cynthia looked at him with fierce piercing eyes. Despite how serious she was being, he couldn't help but be aroused by the look alone, "P-please… ma'am." He looked bashful, "I can't have a serious conversation like this. Can we get dressed?" She tightened a corner of her mouth and took off his restraints. "Thank you. Give me a moment to… clean up."

"Fine, I'll change too." She heard a slight disappointed sigh from him as he walked off. He _did_ , very much, like the outfit she was wearing.

~oO0Oo~

Will looked at the time with a heavy heart. It was well past midnight and his lover would not sleep. It's not that he didn't care what she had to say, it's just that he's been awake for twenty-six hours already and their bondage games helped him unwind. Now, he was getting tense again. "Cynthia, I've been working with Doctor Director since…" he struggled with words, "almost the beginning. There's no way a hero of her caliber is doing anything _but_ good. She's the reason I joined GJ."

"I don't question she's done good, really good. But this feeling-"

"Well, maybe this feeling is overdue to be wrong… er for being wrong. Cyn, I require sleep, can you please come to bed?"

She sighed, "I'm sorry, Will, really." She joined him under the covers, "I know Betty was your motivation. Believe it or not, she's mine too… and Kim. Kim kind of introduced me to GJ indirectly. She's blogged about it for years. I transferred out of the marine corp so I could be here. I wouldn't have found _you_ , you sick little monkey, if it weren't for her."

"Mm, well, I suppose I should thank her too."

"Too bad we can't be within fifty thousand feet of her, which, again, doesn't make sense."

Will looked at her with pursed lips, "Cyn-"

"I'm sleeping, I'm sleeping. See, eyes closed." She went silent as Will turned off the light. She came to a very quiet whisper, "Her blog also removed all references to GJ."

"CYN!"

"OKAY! SLEEP! GOODNIGHT!"

He sighed heavily, "I promise, in…" he checked the time again, "six hours, twenty-three minutes, we can talk about it more."

"Okay, thank you." She smiled to herself but then thought of something that concerned her, "You wouldn't talk to _her_ about this, right? I don't want to get fired… or worse."

"I'm your pet, not hers." He came to a whisper, "Six hours, nineteen minutes."

"Okay, gaaahhd. Such a precision-asshole sometimes."

He snickered.

~oO0Oo~

Shego woke up with the thought of almost killing Kim on her mind. She tried to remember which of their past fights it was. She struggled and grimaced recalling each bad deed done to the woman next to her and yet, still couldn't remember which fight it was that caused the scars on Kim's thigh. She lifted the bed sheet and gently felt for them. She noticed the scars were closer to the inner thigh and towards the knee. As soon as she felt the raised skin, tears began to well. She still couldn't remember.

Kim groaned, "N-no… no panties."

Shego softly chuckled through her tears. It seems it'll be a long while before she'd be able to tease Kim with them again. She winced at the thought of never having been able to in the first place. The thought of never having Kim beside her. Her heart ached to a point she could no longer muffle a single escaping cry.

Kim woke to it, "W-what's wrong? Shego?"

"I-" Her voice cracked and each remaining word came out as a scratched whisper, "almost," a needed breath, "killed you." A few more tired breaths, "I'm so- s-so sorry."

"Shego, it's oka-"

"It's not! I can't even remember when. I h-hate myself. I'm evil! I'm s-sick!"

"You aren't!" Kim pulled Shego close and spoke as calmly as she could. If she started a heated argument about how she wasn't evil, it would only feed the fire. "You saved me from Belize."

Shego was completely unclear as to what Kim could possibly mean by that, "What? I wasn't there. I don't understand."

"They had guns, they knew the terrain, but Shego, they were slow. They surrounded me, it was the only way they could land their kicks, their punches." They wanted to beat me, rape me, they wanted to do the worst things to me. They only shot at my feet. They wanted me alive," Kim was being careful with the detail. She took a quick moment to push it down and away. She took a needed breath and continue, "But it was only because of you that I was able to escape. No one fights like you. You trained me, you conditioned me. Shego, you saved me. I was only able to get out of there because of you."

She didn't agree with the logic, "But I-"

"No 'buts', Shego, and you're saving me every day, now. I don't mind reminding you of that."

She decided not to argue, "I will _never_ hurt you again."

"I know." Kim snuggled in.

"Why can't I remember?"

"It was a long time ago. Our first few fights, I think. I was a bit of a novice to the whole hero thing."

"Please tell me."

Kim sighed, "Shego, I don't think about it. I don't hold anything against you and I think I just wanted to try something new and miscalculated. It was more _my_ fault than yours."

"Please, Kim."

Sleep was not to come until Kim went ahead with the memory, "Okay, okay. Do you remember the vortex pulsator device?"

"The... what?"

"It's what Drakken called it. He was going to use it on key fault lines to cause earthquakes."

"Oh, right. He needed a high energy source to power it."

"Exactly, and you, my sneaky, sexy, thief, stole it." Kim tried to lighten the mood. "That thing was massive, I still don't know how you snuck it out without anyone noticing sooner. Anyway, I caught up with you in a small town in Nevada. You were in the middle of connecting it to Drakken's device when a cute little somebody - me - was charging towards you."

"When… when did I do it? It's coming back to me, but I just don't remember it that well."

"Well, I think about a minute into the fight I decided to do a high kick at your head and you deflected. I think that's when you tagged me with those well filed nails of yours. I didn't even feel it."

"But, you kept going, you followed through and got me in the chest. And that's when Ron-"

"Made things more dangerous than it should have been and that when it was time for everyone to get out."

Shego's eyes darted around, looking at the memory, "You were still standing, I didn't see any blood."

"Baggy pants hid the blood running down my leg. I was too 'in the moment' to think anything was wrong. I watched you and Drakken get out and that's when I blacked out." Shego was starting up her tears again. "Shego, I'm okay!" Kim grabbed Shego's shoulders. "You didn't know. It was obviously an accident."

"I don't make mistakes like that. I'm precise. I'm accurate."

"I know you are. It was my mistake. I noticed you've never really used your glow on me either, Shego, not really. You seemed to know when you were actually going to make contact and if you did, you never burned me. It took me a while, but that's what helped me figure out that you were drooling over me."

"I didn't _drool_ over you. If anyone's drooling, it's you over me… and literally every night."

Kim threw her eyes and hands up, "How did I know you were going to go there. I can't help it, I'm a mouth breather, jeez."

"Kim..., knowing I could have ended you isn't easy for me. I can't shrug that event away even if you say 'it's okay'. It's just, I've _always_ made sure that, whatever I did, there was something or someone that _wouldn't_ guarantee that end. I watched, every time. And now, knowing that just a few moments after I _thought_ you were going to be okay, how many times did I really almost kill you? This is earth shattering for me. I'm such an awful person. I'm pathetic. A fool. I didn't even care because I thought I was being 'good enough'. I don't deserve you. I don't deserve anything." Every shove from a hovercraft, every throw through glass windows, every kick, scratch, and every bad deed done to Kim erupted violently in Shego's mind.

"Shego, Shego, stop. Please."

"I feel sick." Shego quickly turned away and held her mouth. She groaned uncomfortably for a moment, but held whatever she thought was going to come up, down. Kim came closer to her and rubbed her back.

"You feel awful and despicable don't you?" Shego nodded. "Would anyone evil actually care?" Shego didn't answer. "Don't let this guilt consume you. It happened. I've done everything in my power, in the long past, to do awful things to you, too. I may not be able to see the scars on your body, but I know I caused some. I'm sorry, too, Shego. For everything that I've done to you, I'm sorry." Shego shook her head to disagree with her, but Kim wouldn't have it. "I never wanted to admit this Shego, but early on, I really wanted to hurt you. I wanted the absolute worst for you. But that was only because I thought you were actually evil. And you aren't. And you taught me that things aren't just black and white. They aren't so binary. Life throws things at you, blurs lines, and puts a veil over your eyes. It's not that we are so imperfect, it's that life is. That much is clear to me now. And you are so contrary to evil that I'd go so far as to insult you by calling you a hero. Because you're mine, in every way."

Shego turned around and hugged Kim tightly and softly cried, "Don't call m-me tha-that."

"You're my hero, Shego. Always."

"Ss-stop."

Kim pushed her back a little to look at her, "You can't make me, my hero." Kim leaned her forehead against Shego's and stared into her tear filled eyes, "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Directly or indirectly, it doesn't matter, you are the root of my survival." Kim held her once more, a few slow breaths and she brought herself to a whisper, "Let's sleep. Life is way too stressful to lose more of it. Come on, I was dreaming you were a dragon again, I want to get back to it." Kim gently guided Shego to her pillow.

"A dragon? Wait," she sniffed, "again?"

"Yes, one so big and powerful she could hold the world in her mouth. Her breath could give life or a fiery death. And I, well, I command her, love her, and pamper her."

"Command, huh?" She wiped away any remaining tears with a wrist swipe as she whispered back to Kim.

"It's just a dream. And the sooner you sleep, the sooner I can drool on you." Kim snuggled into her again, "I can just spit on you to get the party started."

Shego softly chuckled, "Don't you dare." She released a heartfelt sigh, "You're perfect."

"You're my hero."

Another chuckle, "I promise to be a real one to you."

"You already are." Kim kissed her lips before she could protest, "Sleep."

"Okay, okay, " a brief moment, "I love you."

Kim smiled and whispered, "I love you, too."

* * *

So I tried to humanize Betty a bit. Let's just roll with it. Let's just assume that Betty didn't have the power to get rid of a sick villain such as Mr. Adolrumf even though that was exactly the whole purpose of the organization. Let's just assume that in her early days of starting up GJ that Dontler embedded enough of his roots to control the organization with blackmail and corruption that would effectively secure his role as a sick villain while leveraging GJ resources whenever he wanted. Let's assume that years of manipulation and abuse has turned Betty into a self-preserving villain of her own that she is okay following his rules so long as she doesn't become a victim of his private prisons. SO YES I ADMIT IT, this plot point has a grocery list of issues. BLEH, I could spend a few months ironing the logic out but really, do we want to wait this long? I SAY NAY! I'm just letting you all know, the plot point has holes (comparable to swiss cheese, yes - SHEESH), and I'm aware. It shouldn't stop you from enjoying the story (are you enjoying it?)

Anyway, I want to explain Kim's mood a bit - and I'm hoping the story already did a good job of - let me know otherwise. So Kim obviously has a high amount of stress. That was made a bit more clear in the last chapter. This chapter she seems to be in a lot more control. A few factors to consider, 1) Kim hasn't nailed down her methods for coping yet and invisible problems tend to just appear, sometimes without any warning. As Dr. Mallory explained (and is the case in real life) it can be triggered or it can just come. 2) Kim has anti-anxiety meds, anti-depressants, and something that should lower her blood pressure. As I progress the story, you'll see Kim more in control. The anti-anxiety meds are near immediate, she is taking these but I'm not writing this every time there's an issue because that would be ridiculous. 3) So long as Kim can keep herself distracted (school, play with Shego, exercise, cooking) she can remain in control. That's why we see her a little more playful towards the end of the night.

Apologies for the TLDR, I'm just hypercritical of my own work and hoping people agree with the explanation above. :)


	11. Chapter 11

Kim gave Shego a kiss in the ship atop of the school's library. The size and the location of the building made it easy for Shego to park and for Kim to get to her classes without being noticed. The ship utilized Wade's battery-tech to power the camouflage so it could remain hidden for long durations without draining the rest of the ship's the camouflage fail for any reason, Shego made sure it rested between several ventilation ducts and mechanical boxes to remain relatively hidden.

It was Kim's first day back to class after her traumatic breakdown. Shego dare not show it but she was nervous. Kim would be interacting with a campus full of students right after Dr. Shrinkner urged them to take a break. But a break would be nothing short of suspect.

Shego let out a breath she'd been holding, "I'll only be but a moment away from you if you need me. I can do so discreetly or rain hell from the sky. Don't hesitate to let me know." Shego craned her neck upwards towards Kim standing over her.

"I'll be fine Shego." Kim gave Shego's arm a reassuring but consciously gentle squeeze. Kim wore a thick, blue, long-sleeved shirt that allowed her thumb to loop through the wrist cuff. It covered her knuckles well enough to hide the light bandaging on them. "After lunch we'll see the doc, right?" Kim felt in control despite recent events. School was actually a good distraction. It kept intrusive thoughts away as her study allowed little room for anything else.

Shego looked away briefly, "Yeah. I have to… buy lunch today," she spoke as if this had been her most heinous crime, "Sorry. Mego is stocking up the house while we're out, so I'll make up for it."

Kim lightly huffed with a smile to her apology, "See you at lunch." She laughed internally at Shego. The great villainous responsible for theft and a bit of chaos across the globe felt guilt for needing to buy lunch. _What a softy._

"See you." Shego hung her head a little low as Kim exited, _It'll be fine. Call Wade._ Shego closed the doors and dialed.

Wade answered rather flatly. He wasn't upset with Shego, he was just tired, "Hi Shego."

A disapproving glare was thrown his way as she expected him to get more rest, "How many hours of sleep did you get?"

"I overslept and got six." His eyes seemed to stare into nothingness..

"I said get a full eight!"

"It's fine, I feel rested, couldn't go back to sleep. How's Kim?"

His response concerned Shego but she answered his question anyway, "She's good enough to have gone to class, but it's… tough." Shego paused a moment reconsidering dismissing her concern, "I think it would be good if you see our doc too, Wade."

"I don't need it and I don't have time."

"We _all_ need it and I have a new employee that needs to be onboarded. That'll give you some more time."

"Shego, don't throw people on me until after I check them out."

"You don't need to. It's her father." He dragged a hand across his face, but before he could say how bad the idea was, Shego continued, "Kim cleared it. I want him to start in two weeks behind a black box. He's not going to ask questions."

He looked at her, incredulous, "And Lipsky?"

"I… I'll talk to him. I need to work out some things first." A long exasperated sigh followed from behind her Kimmunicator. Her brows knitted, "I'll make it work," she tried to sound convincing, "I've gotten Ron to calm down a bit. I talked to him last night."

"Good, how much more can we tell him? Or have you-"

"Nothing."

"But-"

"I fucking hate apologizing but I'm sorry. He doesn't know how lucky he is. I wish I could hide it from you too."

"Shego-"

"Not the time to interrupt me!" she raised a pointed finger, "I'll tell him more but not yet. Kim and I need to do it together. Which reminds me, she um…, she talked to him last night, too."

A small spot of shock and a bit of jealousy washed over his face, "Oh." His brows raised at the news.

"It was quick. It was to get Ron to stop theorizing. And, she'll talk to you soon, too. Just get a little more rest if you could." A beat, "I'm making an appointment for you with our doctor on Friday." He tried to protest, but was immediately silenced, "It's an order." He craned his neck at her with a look that said she really had no right. "Wade," she pleaded, "it's only for an hour. You can chew me out later," she decided to crane her neck towards him, "or I can just burn you," she smirked.

Wade huffed, "Yuh huh. Is Ron going to ask any more questions?"

"He shouldn't. At least not for a little while. Let him hate me. He should."

"Shego, I don't know how that helps anyone."

"Just let him," her voice became softer, "You should too."

"I don't know where you're going with this, but-"

She caught herself. She felt she was going off point and redirected the topic, "I'll check-in at the lair this weekend for a little bit. I'm going to tie up some things here."

"Shego, don't cut me off," he said quickly, "I'm not sure what's going through your head right now but we're on the same side. We can have whatever conversation you're thinking about _after_ we save Kim."

She blinked away her sourness, "Yeah… alright. I got to go."

Wade gave her a solemn look, "I'll alert you if anything comes up."

Shego nodded and disconnected. She stared blankly at her Kimmunicator, _Get your shit together, Shego._ She took a long deep breath and hovered over Mr. Dr. Possible's last message. She was having trouble deciding whether to call or text him an update. _Fuck it._

|I've thought about it. Welcome aboard. You start in two weeks. You are to continue your normal job. You strictly follow my orders or you're out. Understood?

Shego hit send and threw her Kimmunicator on the seat next to her. She then rolled her eyes at the sound of a reply a few short moments later. It wasn't entirely unexpected but she thought she would have a bit more time to collect herself. She grabbed the device to see his reply and luckily it was nothing more than one word.

|Understood

|Good. Details later. Get plenty of rest, you'll need it.

She cycled through the various functions of her device and stared at the one that displayed Kim's rhythmic pulse rate. She increased the volume to listen to it and took peace at the calm, consistent beat it made. Kim was focused and safe. It was soothing enough for Shego to let her mind drift for a lengthy few moments until a thought injected itself, _Ann_. Shego sighed, _Damn it._ She grabbed the Kimmunicator and texted her,

|Got a few minutes to talk?

 _Please don't respond._ Only a short few seconds later came her reply.

|I have a few.

 _Damn it._ Shego wanted to tie up this loose end but at the same time didn't want to deal with it at all. She forced herself to get it done.

Pick up the landline when I call

She proceeded to dial Go Tower.

"Hello?" came the voice over the line.

"About your messages, about everything…"

"You never replied." Ann's voice was stern.

"I'm very busy. I have some time now. I want you to know I have absolutely no intention of bringing your sons onto our mission. Even if they begged to help, they are strictly forbidden; as are my youngest brothers."

"My husband, Shego-"

"Is a persistent and brilliant engineer we need." Shego could hear the disgust that whispered through Ann's breath. "He will know nothing of the sick world we are fighting against. He will be under the highest protection. And, above all, he will focus on projects that look after your daughter. I did not want to recruit him, Dr. Possible, but we have few options and fewer people we can trust."

Ann tried to persuade, "He's not a fighter."

"He is now, I'm sorry."

"I swear Shego," her breath shook, "if anything happens to them-"

"You won't be able to do anything." Shego's voice was cold. It was a reflex and she cursed herself for responding this way. But it also drove an important point that Ann needed to remind herself of. There was nothing she could do. Shego tried to give her some assurance. She tried to gain her trust, "But as an act of good faith, I'll give you something."

Ann's voice was filled with hate, "What are you going on about?"

Her voice was flat and empty, "Something you can use against me. It'll shut me down. I'll give it to you when we meet again. Maybe over a drink."

A prompt, "Fuck you," was her reply.

Shego's reflex responses weren't helping the situation and she forced herself to make a better effort, "I want you to know, I've changed. I will make up for everything I've done. Or at least, get close. And when this is all over, after we accomplish our goal, my plan for your daughter and I," she paused to smile at the thought, "well, you'll have to wait and see."

That seething hatred didn't dissipate, "I won't forget her scars, Shego. I won't forget the fear of almost losing her. I won't-"

Shego quickly gasped and snapped out of her daydream of her future. As if to berate herself she spoke with worried anger, "I'm sorry. It is a mistake that will hang over my head for as long as I live. I have to go." A wave of sudden remorse and anxiety hit her. Shego blindly pressed a button and then threw the device at the windshield. In a fit of rage and regret she yelled at the air, "IT WAS A MISTAKE! I MESSED UP! I DIDN'T KNOW! IT WAS A FUCKING MISTAKE! I FUCKED UP AND I'M FUCKING _SORRY_!" She huffed heavily clutching at her own scalp as images of Kim dead flashed in her mind with a vividness that caused her to flinch and gasp. She groaned with a shallow bellow as faces of victims were replaced with Kim's. Then she heard a faint voice.

"Shego? Shego, pick up the phone." Shego's eyes went wide at the fact she hadn't actually hit the button to properly hang up. "Shego!"

Shego shuttered a moment, gradually coming out of her haze. She slowly picked up the device with a hand that carried a mild tremble. The horrific imagery was then drowned out by overwhelming embarrassment. She took a few needed breaths before replying, "You weren't supposed to hear that," she took a moment to clear her throat, "I _thought_ I hung up."

"Shego."

She covered her eyes, "What?"

"I'm glad I did," she sighed, "Listen, I wish you hadn't gotten me drunk the last we spoke. We could have talked more. I don't know anything about you besides the fact you are in a relationship with my daughter and of course your violent past."

"Which is why I got you drunk. I really have to go." Shame and embarrassment was the only feeling to have at the moment. Maybe a pinch of emotionally driven idiocy, too.

"Wait," Ann demanded, "If I learned anything over the weekend it's that I shouldn't force it. But Shego, we need to have a real talk about you. I need closure and I think you do too."

"I'll think about it. I'm going to actually hang up now."

A slight chill to her voice for not hearing a better answer, "Goodbye, Shego."

Shego hung up and verified that she actually did. She tightened her fists to contain her frustrations in one tense motion, _Fucking gaaahd damn it! Give me one damn day without this emotional BULLSHIT!_ She ground her teeth and tried to calm herself. A message flashed on her Kimmunicator. _What now!?_

Amy texted Shego again,

|Yoo hoo when are you going to get back to me?

Shego could almost hear her dopey sing-song voice through the text. _I am SO NOT IN THE MOOD!_ She replied,

|I need a few days. Something came up

Shego hesitated before sending. If she didn't specify that it was a private matter, Amy would likely ask.

|I need a few days. Something private has come up.

She sent the message and waited for the inevitable reply.

|OK.

 _Hm._ She grunted. _Simple. I like simple._ She looked at the time. It's barely been an hour and she wished it was time for Kim to come back.

~oO0Oo~

Cynthia sat up and hovered over Will in bed. She decided to wait through the last ten or so minutes to get up before the alarm went off. She knew Will would take advantage of each and every minute before he would hear a word of what she had to say. As each minute ticked she softly hissed through her nose.

Will muttered, "Cyn, stop that. I need sleep."

She rolled her eyes and fell to her pillow again in a huff. She stared at the ceiling silently, doing her very best to remain patient. It was only a few more minutes left. She could wait. After what felt like an hour, she hissed through her nose again. Will promptly grunted at her. He then quickly swatted his hand toward the nightstand, disabling the set alarm, and only allowed a single beep to be heard. They both began talking simultaneously.

"What is it Cyn?"

"Breakfast?"

"That's a good start."

"The feeling is real bad Will. The worst."

"Bad how?"  
"I can make pancakes."

"Pancakes would be good. I'll cook dinner."

"Like GJ is a terrorist bad. I don't know."

"Can we please stop talking at the same time?"

"I'll get started."

"..."

"..."

"Cyn, what are you talking- son of a bitch."  
"Okay you go fir- hahaha."

~oO0Oo~

Cyn gave Will a sideways glance at the stove to see if it was okay to speak without getting into another battle of who should talk first. He nodded his go-ahead and Cyn promptly started, "I can sense it. Something really wrong is going on and I think it involves Dr. Director. I need your support on this, Will. I won't do it if you tell me 'no', but I need to investigate GJ. No one can know. Just you and me. But I'll drop it. You just say the word and you'll never hear me talk about it again."

Will sat at the table facing her, "To clarify, you want me to give you the green light to perform an unauthorized investigation on the largest anti-terrorism organization on the planet? And not only that, you want me to help you look into our direct superior, Dr. Betty Director?" He put up a hand to allow himself to continue before she could confirm, "This, of course, requires us to hack into her system accounts as we obviously don't have authorization. A task that's straight up impossible. We wouldn't just be breaking national laws here Cyn, we're committing an international crime based on a hunch."

"Uh huh," her voice increased in pitch casually, "And if you say 'yes', I'll give you an extra pancake?" She offered a nervous smile while raising the spatula..

"This is serious Cyn."

She flipped the pancakes and sat down at the table with him to look him straight in the eye, "Will, give me two weeks. Two weeks to get you _something_ that even you can't refute. If I turn up nothing, then I'll drop it. I'll leave it as 'my feeling was due to be wrong someday'. I'll believe Kim just switched sides and nothing more. Please. There's something there, I _know_ it. I'll take responsibility for everything. I'm betting my life on this."

"It _is_ that serious, Cyn. If you get caught, our lives are ruined. Do you understand that?"

"Our?"

"I'm not letting you take the fall. I will say I ordered you to investigate and you would be operating under me alone."

"Is that a 'yes'?"

"Two weeks Cyn. Not a millisecond longer. In fact," he hit a button on his watch, "it started two seconds ago."

She wrapped her arms around him, "You're such a precision asshole. Thank you."

"They're burning."

She parted from her hug in confusion, "Huh?"

"Breakfast."

"Oh fuck." She got up, turned off the heat, and flipped the pancakes to see the damage done. "Damn it all, you want me to make another batch?"

"No time, just soldier through it." He smirked, "I'll make sure dinner has the same fine quality."

"Oh go to hell."

~oO0Oo~

"Hey." Wade greeted Ron in passing down the corridor from his room that led to his workstation. The halls were so distant you could hear a faint echo as he spoke.

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing, just saying hi," he hesitated a moment, "um, heard you talked to Kim."

"Yeah," he started scratching the back of his neck, "heh, I did."

"How is she? I mean um, how'd it go?"

"Oh, um. It was okay. We didn't talk long. She… she told me Shego's gone good." He paused with a little frown, "I just… what she did-"

"I know. I remember. You know, she _was_ a hero once before."

Ron nodded while biting his bottom lip with a bit of agitation, "Yeah, I know. It doesn't change anything. I'm sorry, but it doesn't for me. I just really hope this isn't some long con."

"Listen, I know you being this uninformed doesn't help. They'll tell you more, but not until Kim gets better. It's going to be a long time. I'm sorry."

Thoughts of Shego punching, kicking, pushing Kim off a cliff, cutting Kim with her razor sharp nails played over and over in his head, "I hate her so much, Wade. If it weren't for you and Kim, I swear, if it weren't for the both of you, I'd kill her. I'd find a way."

"Ron…" Wade's voice pleaded not to be so extreme.

He put up his hands, "I know, I'm giving her a chance, but only because I trust _you_. You guys mean so much to me. And I'm scared that you guys forgot what she did."

"We _didn't_ forget." Wade was stoic. He tried not to take offense. "Current circumstances have made her an ally. I'm going to be her friend until this is over. But after…, Ron, I don't know," he raised his shoulders, "she seems legitimately good. It's a pretty convincing trick with the amount of effort she's doing for us. She seems to actually love Kim."

It was perplexing. Shego _was_ actually doing work. It was out of character for the villain who was often caught filing her nails with her legs on a control console. "The effort, what she's doing with these… missions, is… is it really that bad? I'm-I'm sorry. I won't ask anymore."

Wade looked him dead in the eye, "It's disgusting." He wouldn't say another word about it and the tone in his voice had already conveyed the magnitude of his sincerity.

Ron cringed. The realization that Kim was in the heart of something that he wasn't even allowed to know about. He couldn't imagine what she saw or what she experienced. Having witnessed a bloodied Kim once before, he thought that was the worst that _could_ be seen. He didn't want to know there was worse.

"They just want at least one of us without nightmares."

His voice weak, "How are you able to handle it then?"

"I don't sleep unless I can't dream." He gave a weak smile and a shrug. "I can't tell you any more. Shego… no, _Kim_ , would probably kill me."

"Maybe she'd make Shego do it." Ron cracked an awkward smile.

Wade huffed a laugh, "Yeah, maybe."

~oO0Oo~

Shego was lost in thought when she received a message from Kim. She promptly sat up to view it.

|Open the door, you locked it.

Shego promptly opened the door to the ship for Kim. Shego had instant relief when Kim arrived. She huffed as Kim walked in, "You know Princess, your Kimmunicator can unlock the door."

"What? Since when?"

"I don't know…, always?"

Kim took off her device and handed it to Shego, "Show."

Shego smiled and patted her lap which earned her an eye roll from Kim. But, that didn't stop her from doing as she asked. Shego promptly wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her chin upon Kim's shoulder. As she peaked over, she gave soft quick pecks on her neck. She'd scroll through the menus and different screens and assumed Kim was paying attention, "So, like that."

"Wait, do it again, you kept tickling me. I didn't watch."

"Okay, but last time," she pressed a 'Home' key to take the interface back, "From here you just tap this," she kissed Kim's neck.

A giggle, "Mmhm?"

"Then here," she gave one hard suck.

She protested a little, "Uh huuuuh?" But she also chuckled.

"Scroll down," she tongued the area.

Kim's eyes fluttered, "Mmrrraah!"

"And finally the panel to open your ship is here, just enter password," she blew a raspberry.

With a smile and trying to get away, "Aahh! Ass!"

Shego grinned at her, "Need another walkthrough?"

Kim chuckled and began wiping all the saliva off of her neck, "I think I'm good, thanks."

"Anytime Pumpkin."

"Food?"

"Food."

~oO0Oo~

"And?" Shego inquired to Kim. The small table between them was inadequate to say the least in the small greek restaurant.

"What?"

"You are eating more than just a salad! With a lack of breakfast this morning, you're going to make up for it with lunch."

"I don't know what any of this is and it looks pretty authentic here," she stared at the menu, unable to decipher most of the items. "I'm not looking for surprise bathroom time during our… session. I'm a little surprised with myself, I don't think I ever had Greek food before."

"This is the one of the few restaurants that _are_ authentic in this state. Get the moussaka and I'll let you off the hook… until dinner."

"Errm fine." As Kim replied, Shego pulled over another table. Her meal was going to be a bit bigger than Kim's. Kim knew the reason for the extra table, but hoped the owners or other patrons wouldn't mind. They ordered and waited. Shego stared at Kim with a soft smile. Kim returned the expression, feeling a bit bashful, "What?" Shego twitched a brow and waved dismissively. "Come on, why are you staring at me."

Shego's smile grew, "Nothing, I just like this."

Kim blushed a little, "You don't have to stare."

"I'd say it's a requirement."

She rolled her eyes, "Pff, whatever. So, um, I wanted to discuss something with you."

Shego became concerned, "Hm?"

"Nothing to worry about, I just want to see if we can fit some exercise time in each day. I've been seriously lacking since vacation." Kim didn't want to specify the event that happened just before. "It's like you said, I need to stay distracted and school can only do so much without being it's own stressor. There's just one problem…"

"And what's that?"

"Where? We could go to Go Tower, but then I'd have to see my parents. That didn't come out right. I just don't want to explain myself and be obligated to spend a couple hours with them each time." She sighed, "That didn't sound right either. I just want-"

"I have a place."

"You do? Of course you do, you have safe houses galore."

"I have three, that's not 'galore'."

"You have more than _one_ house."

" _We_ have more than one house."

Kim scoffed, "Except for the fact I don't know where they are. Not really mine and please, I can't rightly say they're mine if you just give them to me."

"I'll show you, they are, and if I hadn't made it clear by now, everything that's mine, is yours."

Kim blushed, "You're serious aren't you?"

"Yep."

"I don't know what to say."

"Don't. It's not necessary and also required. Don't tell anyone, not Ron, Wade, or your parents. There is no one else who can put up with my shit and there is no one else more deserving." She quickly clarified, "I mean, deserving of my wealth."

A waiter came out before Kim could form any words. Food was placed on the tables and the waiter couldn't help but notice Kim's rose colored face, "Ma'am, are you alright?"

"Mmhm!" Kim nodded. Shego only smirked.

"Okay, let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks!" She watched the waiter walk away. "Shego, you're doing too much already."

"We talked about this, Pumpkin. Just eat."

Kim groaned, "It's just… it's too much."

"Get used to it. Eat." Kim huffed, but Shego pointed her fork at her, "I'm not above force feeding you in front of everyone, Cupcake. You need to eat." Kim tightened a corner of her mouth and began eating. "Look, I'll say it again. I did some bad things in my past. I'm not going to lie, some of it was fun. But my life was not stable. No family, no friends, no you. It sucked. Money gets you by."

"Let me guess, love is all you need?"

"No, you need love _and_ money. Love alone is just misery with company." Kim didn't like that answer and grunted in disagreement. "My point, Kim, is that I was either going to become a worse person or not a person at all without you." Shego resumed eating and gloomily.

It didn't hit Kim right away, what she meant by 'not a person at all', but it didn't take long, "I… I'm glad I was there, then. Here, now. And know I _will_ be there, just so long as you're there too."

"Keep munching. I still have issues with past-me. And don't tell me I shouldn't or that I don't owe you. It's not just that. It's closure. Money is the least I can do right now. Just let me try to be better… for me."

They both ate in silence for a moment. Kim felt the need to say something, anything. "Whatever you need, I'm okay with it. I mean, I support your decision even though I don't think you need to be so crazy good to me."

Shego gave a soft smile to her words but came to a frown, "There's something else. Um… I-I need to work tonight. I'm sorry."

Kim saddened, "Oh," and then the realization that Shego didn't mean preparing to teach hit her. A level of disappointment reached her lips as a soft whisper, "Oh." Kim would be sleeping alone.

"S-something came up and I need to plan. Kim, I'm sorry. No more than two night this week. That's all."

The words wrung strong in Kim's ears, stabbed her heart and twisted it, 'something suddenly came up', 'two nights', 'this week'. There was more to come. A lot more. Only a whisper could escape, "It's okay."

Shego wasn't taking Kim's reaction well. She just had her smiling earlier and now she ruined it. "I'll make it up to you. Right after our session. I'll-I'll give you a head to toe massage, a fancy dinner-"

"It's okay, really. I understand. I really do. It had to come sooner or later."

"I'll still be in the house. I'm not going anywhere."

"For now."

Shego couldn't lie to her, she was going to go on a mission eventually. "I have to act fast and I'll be back just as quick when I get a plan down."

Kim became very serious, "I'm going with."

"I really don't think that's a-"

"As backup at the very least."

"Kim-"

"I can handle it. I don't have to do anything. Just backup. No one can jump in like I can. It's the one thing I ask of you, you don't do missions alone. I won't complicate things, you know I won't."

"We agreed after you get better. We said-"

"You plan me in or I follow you in."

"Damn it Kim."

"No. Solo. Missions. Promise me." Kim's teeth clenched and unclenched that caused her jaw muscles to flex.

Shego tried to use her scowl, but Kim had that thousand yard stare she couldn't ignore. Kim was in the worst of it, Shego was only a spectator. "I just want to end this for you."

"You aren't doing it without me, not anymore. The months without you, just wondering, waiting, it was killing me. It… it _affected_ me. You can't do that again. Promise." There was silence until Kim pleaded. "I have very little leverage over you. Please, just do this for me. Promise. Please."

"Do you know why I don't want to?"

"Do you know why I do?"

"We shouldn't discuss this here."

"Don't dodge."

Shego took a deep breath and pursed her lips. "I promise." She leaned forward and spoke quietly, "But I'm in command. Like we discussed, you need to trust me."

"You know I do."

Shego leaned back, "I don't want you to lose yourself again. I don't want you to relive…" Shego stopped herself, afraid of triggering another episode. "I want you far away from this."

"You know I can't until _she's_ gone."

"I know." Shego checked the time, "I'm sorry to bring this up now, I didn't mean to ruin our meal. We should finish and head to our appointment."

Kim was tense, but couldn't help huff a shuddered laugh, "For a person who doesn't apologize, you certainly been doing it a lot."

"Yeah well, it's been to a select few, and I've a lot to apologize for," her voice trailed off concerning Kim. Drama was spiking as it was and she decided to let it go.

"The mousakka is pretty good, you want to try? Doesn't beat your cooking, but it's tasty." Kim tried her best to diffuse the tension.

"Sure." Shego gave a light smile and took a bite. She pondered a moment, letting the flavors fill her palate, "I'd use ground boar instead of lamb, I think. I might have a good marinade for it actually."

"Can't wait." Kim returned the light smile.

"I'll tell Mego to pick some up."

She creased a corner of her mouth, "Don't make him do an extra errand for me."

Shego texted him quickly, "It's for me."

Kim looked at her disapprovingly, but didn't protest. She looked around the restaurant and even though the conversational drama took up most of their lunch, she was happy to stay out of the house. She'd love to go on a date with Shego again. Maybe she could plan one, she thought; maybe something she could focus on instead of the terror screams that she's forced to suppress to the best of her ability. Her thoughts were interrupted by Shego giving the signal that they needed to get going. Kim nodded, eyed the wad of cash that Shego threw down, and headed out.

~oO0Oo~

Down and deep within a section of the lair's lab, Wade ground himself with an appropriate grounding strap around his hands and feet. He set aside a tablet he was holding for a moment and then proceeded to dress in an anti-static lab coat and mask before encountering the mad scientist at work. Sensitive tools and equipment laid out across rows of aluminum tables. Wires, cables, and the like were strewn about the parts and connected to various indiscernible power sources and current-analyzers. Other tables seemed to be miscellaneous junk parts that may be repurposed later.

Wade greeted politely, "How's it going Dr. Lipsky?"

He sneered, "That's Dr. Drakken to you, _Wade_."

He blinked in confusion, "What? You told me it was Lipsky yesterday. I was saying it out of respect!"

Dr. Drakken's eyes circled around his head as he chased at a memory, "Oh. I may have said that. Dr. Lipsky is what I said. That's right. Well, I like Drakken now. Dr. Drakken."

"Okay, fine, Dr. Drakken." Wade massaged the wrinkles forming on his forehead, "I just wanted to know if you needed anything. I'm running through inventory and we're low on tungsten carbide, hafnium carbide, and sulfur hexafluoride. I thought I'd check with you before I restock."

"Um, erm, I don't think so. Oh, wait…," he ran to a workstation. "I wrote a list." He took the list to Wade whilst extending a hand to him, "I need these," he grinned, "This will make the new ship more… zowy!" He drove his hand in the air like a toy plane.

Wade raised a brow, "You know I have to approve this list with Shego?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Whatever. She'll love it. I know my Shego."

He arched his head down, "And you're aware that if the ship goes any faster the g-force alone will likely shatter the ship, their bones, and flatten them to a pancake?"

Eyes wide, finger thrusted in the air, and a giant grin, "HA! But it won't!"

His excitement was unusual but it did stir Wade's curiosity, "Dr. Drakken?"

"Are you questioning my GENIUS?"

"...Yes."

Drakken's mouth was left open in disbelief for a moment. He rolled his eyes, "FINE! I'll prove it." He grabbed a schematic on his PC and put it up on a large screen. "It's a rough draft now, but I know it'll work. I'm a genius. Doy!"

Wade looked at it seriously. "That can't be."

"Uh huh." Drakken watched Wade's eyes trace over every formula and design on the screen.

Wade went over just a portion of it at a time, "I mean sure, _theoretically…_ it's not possible to..." he was finding that things were connecting for the parts he understood. Though, there was a large portion he didn't understand and sat down in a nearby chair. "What's this?" He pointed to a portion of the screen.

"Okay, THAT, I'm still working on. Fuel is still an issue for me right now. But I'll get it. It's-it's a draft after all." Wade's hopes for something realistic were quickly dashed. "Don't look so disappointed! I'll get it. You young kids think you're all that! That's what the list is for." He moped with arms crossed and his back turned away.

"Okay, I'll run it by Shego." He ran his eyes down the list again, "This, I think every single one, will kill you if you mess up. Do we even have the proper equipment to handle these?"

He dropped his arms, "Right." He ran to his workstation yet again, "Here." Another list handed over.

Wade sighed, "Any more lists, Dr. Drakken?"

He scooched over back to his desk slowly, lifted some papers to make sure. He sucked in his lips and tried to look innocent, rolling his eyes slowly to the direction of his desk, and then quickly snatched another, final list from the table, "This is the last one."

Wade took the paper, "Coco moo?"

"We're out."

"We just…" Wade stopped caring, "I'll double the order."

"Thank you."

Wade felt it necessary to show some appreciation. They had their obvious past but Wade saw he was actually working very hard to help. Wade looked at him seriously, "Dr. Drakken, I want you to know, we really appreciate everything you're doing. I know I've said it before but you do great work. Thank you."

He smiled, "You can call me Drew."

Wade's eye twitched momentarily before he left.

~oO0Oo~

Shego was passed the suggestion to wait outside in the waiting room again. She couldn't help but wince at the news that Kim's blood pressure was only marginally better. Shego blamed herself for bringing up work. Trying to be a better person, she felt, was making Kim's life worse than the times they were enemies. Neither of them expected to get better after a day. That assumption would just be ridiculous. But the day felt like it was going well for Kim up until lunch.

For every bit of pain that Kim felt, Shego cursed herself for not handling it better. She needed to be supportive and she felt like she was failing Kim. So, she waited while Kim shared whatever it was that she needed to share.

After the traditional hour was up, Kim came through the door, "You're up," she shrugged.

Shego entered and her appointment started.

~oO0Oo~

Mallory waited until Shego sat down on the tufted leather couch before she spoke. A table clock ticked loudly against the moment of silence and was only accompanied by the soft creaking of the leather as Shego sat down. Mallory began, "Shego, before we begin, Kim wanted me to assure you of something. That something being what you found out about last night concerning a near death experience that you may have been responsible for."

A rush of blood flowed to Shego's face. Instant remorse carried her voice, "I swear I didn't know. I was careless and stupid and-"

Dr. Shrinkner raised a hand to stop her calmly. This was not a means to put Shego on the spot. "She doesn't want you questioning yourself over one incident," her voice still calm and soothing, "As major as it was, there were factors you aren't taking into account. For example, had you seen the seriousness of her wound, Kim is confident you would have stopped and may have even helped."

"That's true, but-"

Mallory interrupted so Shego couldn't drag herself down. This place was to get better. She sat up more to speak, "I've known you for a long time and while we've worked through some pretty difficult issues, you've always felt remorse, even for things that weren't your fault. It's not my place to define you, but it is obvious to me..., you aren't evil.

"Kim's worry is that you'll use your past to validate your efforts to be 'good' in your relationship. She asked me to remind you that she just wants you for you. She's forgiven and forgotten. She told me, in hopes that another person telling you, will be enough to provide you with a sense of closure that you desire.

"And while 'normal' may not be the best description of your relationship, she just doesn't want you to be overwhelmed with guilt any more than you'd expect from _her_ past transgressions. My advice is not to pretend it didn't happen, but to let it go. Be content that not only she is alive but that she holds none of the past against you. Does that make sense?" Mallory searched for an understanding.

Shego's eyes drift up from the floor, "It's not just her."

The doctor leaned back into her chair slowly, "Alright, let's start with that."

"Her friends, her family. Normally I wouldn't care. But, what they'll do for her. I can't explain it. I need them to accept me, but they should hate me. For everything that I've done to Kim, even to them, they shouldn't forgive me and I need them to. I hate myself so deeply." Regret kept hitting her. Worse, it hung around and stalked to her.

"Are you trying to forgive yourself?"

The question seemed so ludicrous, she squinted briefly in confusion and was nearly angry at the notion, "Why the hell would I do that? How? There's no forgiving for what I've done. I'm trying to tell you, her friends and family have a valid reason to hate me and I don't know how to work with that."

"And I'm trying to tell _you_ you need to forgive yourself before you can expect others to," a beat, "Consider this, you've changed mainly due to outside factors-"

"Kim. Kim makes everything better. I don't know how but-"

Mallory continued, "You, the present you, is the same person as your past self. What you need to realize is that past self turns into the better version of you. That being the you of today," she placed her laptop she was holding aside, "You can forgive today's self." Both Shego's brows raised with that little epiphany. "The best you can do with this version of you is to make up for the past, the worst you could do is simply not repeat those acts you hate so much. In both cases, you're better."

Shego thought on those words and slumped more into the chair, "I'll try."

"Good," she chose not to push Shego. This was normal. Shego would take time to think about this later. Mallory moved on, "How are you and Kim today?"

Shego's eyes drifted back to her psychiatrist and she explained what had happened in the past twenty four hours and what will be happening in the next twenty four. She made an appointment for Wade for Friday and thought about adding Ron and Drakken. With the money she was paying Dr. Shrinkner, she'd be able to get any spot. She decided to only set one for Wade. Shego wanted to discuss with the other two before setting up any surprise appointments.

As Shego was suggestively taken to the door at the end of their session, which Dr. Shrinkner had an amazing ability to do without being noticed, she told Shego, "Massages, exercises, school _if it_ helps, are all good. But, and you need to listen, don't forget about taking care of yourself. I needn't remind you, if you fall apart, so does she. Now, go enjoy the rest of your day." Shego nodded blankly and left the room. She suggested they were ready to go by pointing to the exit with a nudge of her head. Kim joined her and they left.

~oO0Oo~

Back in the ship Shego had trouble deciding where to go. "Um, home, exercise, or…?"

"I've lost the mood to exercise," Kim deadpanned, "but I need to do it."

Shego felt a bit of relief and smiled somewhat, she wanted to show Kim her new gym, so to speak. "You'll love it. The gym, it's not as flexible as Go Tower, but it doesn't have the scenery either."

"More waterfalls?" She accused.

Eyes remained on the sky, "Not everything I have is waterfalls and koi ponds, Pumpkin."

"Is there a waterfall and a koi pond there?" Shego was silent. Kim snorted, "Thought so."

She defended, "It's not a _koi_ pond and it's not a natural waterfall. It doesn't count."

"Yeah, okay," she said sarcastically. She paused a beat, "I know I shouldn't ask-"

"Uh oh-" She anticipated the question would set the mood sour again. She assumed she did or said something wrong and scrambled to remember what it was. She reflected to herself that she had not been handling things as well as she could and the remembrance was not helping her growing anxiety.

"I trust you, I do," she glanced in Shego's direction to show her sincerity, "I'm just curious, is Wade okay?"

 _Ugh, I keep forgetting about those goddamn bat ears._ She sighed, "First, he refused and thinks it's a waste of time and says he's fine. I'm just looking out for a friend." Kim smiled at that. "Second, I have to ask, does it sound like I'm yelling right now to you?," she spoke softer, "Am I hurting your ears?" Shego was really asking. It seemed like Kim's hearing was inhuman and anything above a whisper would logically be painful.

"I'm fine, Shego." She huffed a tiny laugh, "You don't need to whisper, I have normal hearing. A muffled voice is like a second language to me. That's all. Think of it like dentist-speak."

She returned to her normal volume, "Okay. I'm not trying to hide anything, I just don't want you to worry."

"I rather worry about you than anything else right now," a short beat, "Sorry, I mean-"

"I know what you meant." She tilted her heads towards her in acknowledgement.

"Brings me to my next question. Are you going to forgive yourself, or try?"

A brief closing of her eyes. She didn't want to talk about it. "Too soon to tell. I'm not a person that lets go of grudges. And I've got a big one with past-me." She spoke under her breath, "I need punishment."

Kim's eyebrows shot up, " _That's_ my worry. Right there. I need your attention." Kim got up and reached over Shego and forced the craft to hover.

"Woah! Hey! Okay! What!?" Shocked such a reaction came from Kim. It was just a grudge at herself. She questioned why Kim would be so upset.

Kim sat back down and looked at her seriously, "What would it take? When would you be satisfied with your punishment? How extreme? How destructive? How much would you need to endure before you can forgive the past? I'm seriously asking."

"I-I… I can't quantify that!"

Kim squinted her eyes a little, "I need to know, because you hurting yourself, punishing yourself, whatever, doesn't help you and it _certainly_ doesn't help me! I can't have my girlfriend constantly questioning if she deserves the praise and adoration I give her. You're doing so great and it's hard for me to appreciate it when you stab yourself in the back with guilt."

"What am I supposed to do? Just _accept_ all the good things you do for me like I deserve it?"

"YES!" Kim stared at her a moment, "BECAUSE YOU DO!" She shook her hands tensely at her.

"You want me to just forget the past like it never happened!?" She inquired with a small twist of her head.

"No! That's not forgiving. Shego! Ugh!" Kim shared her frustration by massaging her temples, "Shego," she said more calmly and looked in her eyes once more to try to convince her, "acceptance is the realization that what was done in the past was wrong, forgiveness is taking it to heart and knowing you aren't that person anymore. Forgetting is not the same thing. If you forget, you'll have this false sense that you were always just one thing and have the potential to fall right back into the same place you were in before. Forgetting is for people who _witness_ the wrongful past. And unfortunately, they - my friends, my family - will need time to witness the good side before they can forget. But Shego, I promise you, they will, just like I have. They'll love you like I do. Well..., not _exactly_ like I do…, that would be sick and wrong." She smirked.

Shego's eyes became a little misty, "I'm not that person anymore," she sniffed.

A light smile, "That's right."

"I'm still bad though."

A brighter smile now, "Just the right amount."

Shego tilt her head back as if to let gravity sink the moisture back into her eyes. With a thoughtful breath taken, "I'm sorry. I won't do this to you anymore. I swear."

"It's no-"

"Oh please don't say it."

Kim smiled and spoke quickly, "It's no big."

"Ass. Okay, fine. To retaliate you're going to find out exactly how much money you have when we get to our safehouse in South-Upperton."

"It's that close to my parents' place?"

"Yeah, well, I liked being near you."

~oO0Oo~

Kim looked at the house in the rural forest with a hint of a surprise. Cyprus trees surrounded the off-grid ranch home except for the portion in the back that overlooked a large, calm pond. There was no driveway, just a dirt path that lead to more woodlands. Looking around you could see that you could only get to the home on bike or, as they did, via air transport and dropping in from above from the small gap in the treeline. "I thought it would be bigger."

"Snarky little ass."

"What kind of security?"

"Mostly frequency jammers, perimeter scanners, and camouflage. I'm not protecting anything here except just this spot, so no death from above or below here. If I lose it, I lose it. But, it's nice here. I cleaned it up a few months ago to try out my new suit since the lair was undergoing a lot of work, but might still be a little dusty. Either way, it shouldn't be too bad."

They headed in through the front door that lead straight into a mostly empty, open floor plan. " _My_ you live lavishly," Kim joked as she saw no furniture besides a small wooden table accompanied with a single, matching wooden chair. It looked to have been crafted from the surrounding cyprus trees. The room connected to a small kitchen with a one-burner wood-burning stove, a sink, and a tiny refrigerator.

Shego chuckled, "Your bitch level is at an eleven, you need to take that down to a three." Shego shook her head, "See the gym, then just try to tell me it sucks." Shego pointed to a door next to the kitchen. "I'll go start the generators."

Kim entered the next room and the corners of her mouth began to pull into a pleasant smile at the sight. It wasn't the equipment that amazed her, although, as expected, the equipment that was there was top notch. No, the amazement was with the beautiful view. The room had a fifteen foot ceiling and a single panel of glass that stretched twenty five feet wide. The pond, partially frozen from the quick dip in temperature from the previous night, had various evergreen shrubbery leading to it. To the left side of the pond was a small, step waterfall that Shego had referred to earlier. The steps of the waterfall remained dry as Shego had not turned on the pump for it. The sun beamed through the bare cyprus branches into the gym. The space was fairly large. Large enough to do some mild acrobatics if one so chose.

Shego soon came in from behind, "So, Kimmie, what do you think?"

"Hmmm. I suppose it's nice."

"Pff," a deserved eye-roll, "Anyway, I'm a dufus and didn't think about athletic wear. You'll have to settle with what I have, which might be a bit big on you. This is the only one that's kind of tight on my waist, so try this."

Kim started stripping her pants off and tried Shego's shorts on. It was loose, but didn't fall freely. "It'll do." Shego handed her an athletic top, but Kim was already wearing one. "I'm good," she said as she took off her long sleeved shirt. "It's kind of too cold for me here, could we turn on some heat."

"I did, it just takes-" The heat clicked on at that very moment, "-a minute."

Kim took Shego's arms and wrapped herself in them, "Warm me up."

She snorted, "Why'd you take off your clothes so soon?"

"I was ready to go work out, just too cold, and you know… I like my portable heater wrapped around me." Kim tried to snuggle into her arms.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were seducing me."

"Pfuh, that's an easy task." Shego spanked her. "Ow! Come on, that was funny."

"Mhm, I think you're warm enough."

Disappointed, "Aww, fine." Luckily the room was getting warm fairly quickly. Enough for Kim to stop shivering.

"Since you can't use your hands, you can use the bike and generate some power for the house."

"Oo fancy." She smiled and went to stretch her legs. She started with the one leg, then the other, alternating between half splits. The she went to full splits, touching her toes from side to side all the while Shego just watched a little more intently than she should. Kim caught sight of her, "Jeez, _is it_ that easy?"

Shego stopped staring, "Says the girl who said she wouldn't mind ogling _my_ ass all day."

Kim hopped on the bike, "You going to join me?"

Shego cleared her throat, "Yes." She got in front of Kim and spoke with a mocking voice, "I'm just going to stretch." She bent over and wiggled her butt and flexed each cheek. She did the same routine Kim did, except a little more enthusiastically.

Kim huffed a laugh, "So mature."

"The mature-ist."

Kim snorted, "Stupid."

Shego put a leg on the bike's handlebar in front of Kim and bent forward, reaching her heels slowly. She licked her lips and looked at Kim seductively. Kim only returned an unimpressed smile even though Shego was working her magic on her quite well. "You're sweating, Pumpkin." Shego chuckled.

"Am not!" She felt her brow, "A _little._ I _am_ peddling."

"It's been like two minutes, Cupcake." She took off her shirt and snickered. "You're just as easy and I haven't even started."

"Would you like to elaborate?" Kim half-wanted her to continue, half-wanted her to just let her exercise."

"Just you wait _right_ there." Shego had a devious chuckle as she walked to a large closet at the far end of the wall. Kim just rolled her eyes. Shego then dragged out a portable dancer's pole.

Kim couldn't believe it, "Oh you do _not_ know how to pole dance."

A growing smile, "It's a good workout Kimmie, don't knock it. You just keep peddlin' and I'll do my routine over here."

Shego locked eyes with Kim's and refused to look away as she pulled a knee up with toes pointed downward. With the same leg she stretched her foot above her head in one smooth motion. Her hand followed her foot and locked to the pole. She hesitated to give Kim one seductive look. A subtle lick over her lips just before she pushed to spin slowly. She extended her hand in one direction and a leg in another only to bring it back to reposition herself upside-down and continued her momentum around the pole. Her hair nearly touched the floor as she swept around. To say the least, Kim was already entranced by Shego's perfect grace. Her muscles flexed tightly and without a tremble. Shego noticed Kim's stare in one of her passings and released a soft chuckle but had to maintain her concentration. She locked her legs around the pole to perform a slow sit up all the while, again, maintaining her momentum. She pressed her shoulder tightly against it and squeezed with her arms folded so she could extend her legs completely out as if to levitate around the pole. After several more impressive moves and what appeared to be almost playful flexing of her muscles she performed on last levitation act. She then brought her legs back in and, as if to be a snake, spiraled to the floor to a standing position. A final, dramatic bow as she let the back of her hand kiss the floor softly.

She hummed a chuckle at Kim, "You want to give it a try? You haven't exactly been peddling during _my_ workout."

Kim got off the bike and approached her. "My hands hurt Shego, and," she kissed her, "that was hot. It would be dangerous to use my legs on that pole to show you what I can do right now."

"Huh? Wh- OH. Hahaha."

"So, you are going to make me feel better, right here, right now."

"As you command!"

~oO0Oo~

"Rule number one," Kim started as they were in transit to go back to her parents' home, "when we go exercise, we actually exercise."

Shego snickered, "Mmhm. I think we got a _good_ workout today."

"Rule two!," she exclaimed, "make sure we have towels at the house!"

Shego snickered harder, "It's usually just me there. What's the big deal? You had a shower, I dried you."

"You used my own clothes to wipe me! I have to wear my sweaty bra and shorts, it's freezing outside."

"I kept you warm on the way to the ship. Come on, wasn't that bad."

"I feel gross!"

"I'll clean you up, feed you, massage, and put you to bed. Oh, before I forget, here..." Shego brought out a black credit card. "I should have given this to you earlier. No limit and untraceable. Use it like a credit card, works like a debit."

"I can't accept that-"

"You will, because it's more secure anyway. Also, here are twelve accounts I need you to memorize." She handed her a piece of paper. The paper had an account and routing number, a security code, a pin, and a value for each. "These are tangible assets, I have investment accounts I'll give to you later. I don't want to overwhelm you with a bunch of numbers."

Kim's eyes darted from value to value, blinking at the obvious and overwhelming increase with each addition in her head, "Shego, these accounts, they add up to eighty four _billion,_ five hundred thirty two mil-"

"Seven hundred thousand yadda yadda, I know how much I have. It became kind of a game for me. I don't really care about it, until now. All I ask is that you try to keep all expenses under a billion for a while and we'll be in the black for retirement." She forced a sarcastic smile with raised brows.

Kim's eyes remained on the page in utter disbelief, "Shego, what the fuck!?" An unreasonable amount of agitation coursed through her.

"What?" Shego, almost offended, glared black with an obliviousness to what was wrong.

Kim turned to look at her with brows slightly furrowed, "You're saying all of this with a straight face. How can you possibly have this much?" The sheer amount in of itself felt sinful. No one should have that amount, she thought.

"I told you before, I stole a lot, I invested more. And like I said, I'll give back, _later_."

"It has to be a joke."

"Why?" _I was a villain. How does that not make sense?_

"Why did you do all that stuff for Drakken when you could have just, I don't know, do anything you want?"

"What could I do? Buy an island? Got that. Veg out on it until I die? Boring. Drakken is a close friend and I'm loyal. He wasn't going to do anything major so it was-"

"You could have done _good_." Kim felt uneasy with Shego's life choices. She had never truly thought about them. Kim just assumed her criminal record was due to just getting by. Her way of making a living by being on the wrong side of the law. Maybe just doing a little better than the average joe. But billions, that far exceeds the territory of 'outrageous'.

"Well, I'm doing that _now_!" She looked at Kim and a bit of guilt finally crept in, "I'm sorry, I told you, I'm not- I wasn't a good person. I was selfish and I really just didn't think about it," she paused. The guilt grew and she felt she needed to explain herself further, "There were two things on my mind, and I'm being honest here Kim, I wanted to have fun. Stealing, fighting, any chance to wreck something, any chance to grab something, the risk, was fun. Plain and simple… and stupid. Second thing on my mind all the time was… you." She paused, taking a glance at Kim who was staring, "It's fucked up! I know! Selfish and I'm the worst! I could have run a business that could have helped people, I could have gone back to hero-ing, I could have at least just stopped stealing. I didn't. I-"

 _I'm making things worse. She's actually trying to be better and I'm punishing her for it._ Kim forced herself to swallow the past because that's what it was. Shego was never evil and how she's making up for her less than agreeable deeds was proof. Kim interrupted, "I get it, it's fine. I shouldn't have lashed out. How-how do I use the accounts. Not that I'm going to."

Shego didn't feel all that much better but she continued to answer her questions, "Well, they're yours to use from now on. Your accounts are being monitored. So if you need a secret purchase, use that black card. I'll add you as an authorized owner tonight if you want to manage it but um let me handle things for while. Actually…," Shego gave a growing smile with an idea that popped in her head. It was the only thing that subsided the sourness that was in the pit of her stomach.

Kim knew that look. She narrowed her eyes, "What?"

Shego spoke a little softer, "You wanna go shopping on Monday?" She bit her lip while excitedly patting the balls of her feet on the cabin floor, expecting a 'yes'.

Knowing generally how the money was acquired didn't sit well with Kim. She tried to think of an excuse, "I don't know, Shego. You've got classes to teach."

Her eyes went to the ceiling, "Like four classes, I'm free in the afternoon, after 2:30."

She looked down and away, "I should study." Getting away from school and just taking a personal day did sound inviting. That and the sense of normalcy would likely be beneficial.

She pushed harder, "You're ahead. Come on, holidays are right around the corner. I know you haven't done any shopping for anyone." Shego watched Kim slowly fall into her trap. If she wasn't going to be shopping for her, Shego knew that Kim would want time to buy gifts for family and friends. Shego saw her purse her lips to gradually consider the plan. Now, Kim only needed an extra push. Shego drummed fast on her seat, "Come-on-come-on-come-on-come-on."

Defeat, "Okay!"

"YES!" she celebrated but quickly became a little more serious, "One big rule though..."

Kim rolled her eyes and looked at her, "And what's that?" A small smile tugging her lips to Shego's glee.

"Absolutely NO looking at the price. Actually," she gasped, "if you don't mind a three hour flight in this baby, I can take you to a place where they don't have price tags." She squealed excitedly, "Can't wait! Can't wait!"

Kim's smile grew at Shego's giddiness, "It seems I'm going to make Monique very jealous."

"Who? Oh right, we could," she sighed disappointingly, "bring her with us if you want."

A little shocked by the gesture, "You'd do that?"

"Well, I _would_ like it to be just you and me but I need to score some points on the girlfriend card."

Kim was impressed. Shego did not seem to cease with her kindness. She bounced the idea that she was still trying to make up for past transgressions in her head but maybe this was the real Shego. Maybe in this phase of their relationship, Shego really wanted to be more involved in Kim's life. "How 'bout this, as I'm not keeping score _Shego,_ and neither should you, we bring her along this _one_ time, drop her off after dinner and then maybe we can do a post midnight date."

The post date idea seemed most inviting, "And what would we do on this date? Hmm?"

She shrugged, "I don't know yet, maybe I'll steal something with you."

Shego laughed initially but then noticed the straight face, "Wait, seriously? I'm not doing that Pumpkin."

"You never wanted to with me?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly. Doy."

A worried smile graced her lips, "Yes, I've fantasized about it, but that's where it's going to stay. And don't toy with this fantasy, it's a really bad idea, but the desire, wow. You, me, literally anything…," she shivered with excitement, "NO! Stop. The answer's no."

Defensive, "I didn't say anything!"

"You were thinking it!" Kim laughed. "It's not funny! You could ruin your whole life if you get caught." The only reason Shego was even able to teach was because of the unique situation they were in. If it weren't for the facade they were made to put up, Shego could never land a job of any kind. Especially with her history, society would never believe Shego could ever turn a new leaf. It, instead, would indirectly encourage her to align with 'evil', forever stuck with the path she once chose. Mistakes, never to be undone.

Unconvinced, "And you think we'd get caught?"

An interesting point, "You're right, we'd be unstoppable, unnoticeable, un- NO! STOP IT!"

Kim laughed harder, "Okay okay, maybe after college then."

"Yeah… yeah…," she then snapped her head towards Kim, "NO!"

This had Kim cackling.

* * *

Just to give a little peek into my head, the voice and tone spoken by my OC, Mallory, should sound like Susan Sarandon when she voiced the therapist in Rick and Morty, the Pickle-Rick episode. Also, please make an effort to search youtube for "When Male Ballet Dancer Tries Pole Dancing" to view the elegance I was attempting to describe with Shego. I'm sure I failed miserably but I really wanted to show that Shego was not strip teasing but trying to show grace and elegance. It was a performance, not a show. It just happened to be exceedingly attractive to Kim - so much that it even touched her heart to see such beauty.

ANYWAY - I made an attempt to add some meat to the bones of my dialogue. I am beginning to understand, better, how to tell a story and that's 'get rid of dialogue - characters shouldn't have to tell the story, the author should' ... maybe, I dunno. DIRECT ME - sigh. I read published works and rarely see any dialogue as expansive as I make my own. Thus, I must be making a mistake!

FURTHER ANYWAY - Next chapter is riddled with a character I forgot about and need to work hard to take him out. There's dependent context so I have to be sure a future chapter isn't referring to something it shouldn't. WEEEEEEeeeee


	12. Chapter 12

Shego quietly dialed herself on Kim's Kimmunicator and then quickly muted her device She placed Kim's device on the nightstand next to her bed and quietly snuck away. The intent was to use the device to monitor Kim's night terrors while she was working. As she made her way to the door of the den, she tightly grit her teeth, swallowed hard, and turned the knob. That room made every nerve and cell in her body want to retaliate. The nausea was instant as she forced herself to enter. She ignored the images of faces of those responsible for countless victims that hung on a separate board and were identified by their perverse hierarchy. She hit a button and connected with Wade through the house's secure landline.

Without a greeting, as there was no need for one, "You ready?"

She stared at a three monitor setup. The left and right screens were off at the moment and only had Wade's tired face on the center screen. The area of the den she kept as her workspace was relatively small. Shego didn't want to permanently establish her workstation in Kim's home. It occupied a corner, away from the area used to entertain guests.

He cleared his throat and answered, "Yeah. How's Kim?"

"I put her to sleep." Her voice sounded angry and having addressed her last answer with such a tone gave the phrase a different meaning.

A shocked and concerned Wade sat up, "You _what_?"

She looked sternly and leaned into the camera, "With a massage!"

The tenseness in his brow softened, "Oh, okay..., ohhhhhh." An embarrassed look appeared and a darkening of his cheeks revealed the meaning behind his response.

Further frustration, "A _normal_ massage, not that it's _any_ of your business. Argh!" she attempted to move on and back on track after a quick effort to calm herself, "Wade," she paused a moment, "could you get _any_ other information about that leash that's around Betty?"

Wade, disappointed, shook his head 'no', "You would think, someone this powerful would leave something behind. I can't even find motive."

Shego rested her eyes a moment. She was disappointed that even Wade had no leads. Yet. She had to remind herself, Wade didn't have any leads _yet_. "Given what we saw, there aren't any motives. Whoever is controlling the cyclops is just doing this shit for fun. A hobby they just want to secure." Her own words affected her. What kind of psychological damage did one have to have in order to believe what they did was fun? "Don't focus on motive right now. Try finding any connection to 'Satan's Teacher'. He's the only odd one out of all these hell houses."

Wade nodded in agreement. He didn't want to tell her he was already trying to dig for information on those exact connections. That was the problem, there weren't any found yet. He had bots crawling in every wired and wireless connection he could send out. His less-than-legal methods to monitor and decrypt traffic from internet hubs still turned up nothing. Intercepting satellite communication resulted in nothing useful. He only hoped what was still being queued in his private servers would shed some light, if any at all. Terabytes of information was processed per day but petabytes worth were coming in at the same rate. There was nothing else he could do but wait.

Shego continued, "This weekend I need you to take a look at Kim's suit. It has issues."

Almost offended, "What's wrong with it?" But he remembered Drakken had helped with a lot of the tech behind the suit. Surely anything Wade did was nothing short of perfect. Then again, perhaps working on the technological architecture on nothing more than frequent power-naps could cause some problems.

"It would be better if she told you but startup and shutdown are too aggressive. It looks like it's pumping her heart too fast on startup. I don't want her having a heart attack, her blood pressure is trouble enough as it is. Shutdown is less problematic but she-"

Disturbed grunting came through the Kimmunicator. Kim was having another nightmare. Shego got up and was ready to bolt up the stairs but it soon calmed. A sniffle followed by a soft sigh seemed to indicate the end of it. Shego's heart throbbed painfully for each tortured sound Kim uttered.

"Shego?"

She sat back down, "Nothing, it's fine. Listen can you or Drakken take a look at it?" Shego had to force herself to stay focused.

"That won't be a problem. It shouldn't be affecting her heart at all except to regulate it. Anything else?"

"No, but we need to start talking protocol." What she was referring to was essentially a protocol for the lethal approach she would taking for some of her targets. Something neither of them wanted to address. They needed to answer questions like timing, witnesses, fallback plan, endgame. When they identify who they needed to target, Shego would need to go in and execute.

Wade hesitated, his stomach turning at the seriousness of what they were going to set in place, to force themselves into following to the letter. What if someone innocent witnessed? What if a child did? What if they left evidence? Did it mean more death? What did it mean for the whole operation to protect Kim? Wade sighed heavily, "Let's start with initial approach."

Shego listed off scenarios followed by both of them listing edge cases and how to handle them. This lasted a few hours before they realized they weren't really getting anywhere. "We need another approach."

Wade was getting tired, sighing with every sentence, "This isn't software Shego, somewhere in here, we're not going to win."

"I know that!," she snapped, "but if there's a way to avoid it, I'm going to find it." She released an elongated breath through her nose, "Let's take a break. Get some shut eye, we'll talk in an hour."

Another sigh and without hesitation, as it was exactly what he needed, "Wade out." The screen on Shego's computer blackened with two little words staring at her 'No signal'. She dragged her hands down her face, took a few breaths and tried to attack the problem herself for the time being. There was one thing Shego still had to tell Wade and that was Kim joining her on missions. The question was whether Shego was comfortable with Kim actually jumping in as backup or giving the illusion that Kim could and then whisking her away forcefully if anything went wrong to protect her. What would Kim do if she were tricked in such a way? Would she do something that could hurt herself after? _What would I do if the roles were reversed?_ It was this thought that drove her decision.

An hour passed and no sign of Wade. Shego didn't mind. She thought to give him another half hour before attempting to reach him again. Roughly twenty minutes later he made contact. As soon as Shego answered, "I'm up, why didn't you wake me?"

Her tired eyes traced his, "Have you looked in the mirror lately? You need sleep. I don't want you making mistakes because you didn't get enough of it. In fact, after this call, I'm ordering you to get eight hours of rest, Ron's in charge."

"What!?" This woke him up even more, "He doesn't know about anything that's going on and he knows even less on how to automate any of my jobs!" This was a valid concern.

She wouldn't budge, "Eight hours, he can handle it. I'm getting him on the line." The line began ringing and Wade was panicking.

"How can you expect me to sleep with him in charge?" His eyes darted around searching for a solution or compromise.

"Do you prefer Drakken?" The line reached its fourth ring and Wade was dragging both hands down his face hard and then back into his scalp. Ron didn't let it go past five rings.

"F-fine! RON! BUT-"

"H-hello?" he cleared his throat, "Hello?," he said sleepily.

"Ron, Wade needs sleep, get up in two hours. You're in charge for the next eight. Your job is to make sure he gets rest. No one bothers him unless you guys or Kim is in immediate danger. You call me whenever you have a question. You call me when there's a problem. Got it?"

Snoring came back over the line and Wade only became more panicked.

She snapped, "RON!"

"Bah! I'm in charge in two hours for the next eight! Wade rest, call you, make sure he gets it!"

"Good. I'll check-in in four hours. You can go back to sleep."

"Okay!" He hung up.

Her look was nearing a scowl, "Eight hours Wade, if you're up, the clock resets."

"Sh-Shego! Come on!" He flung his hands at the camera in a panic.

"Deal with it, look," a moment to give herself to courage to get it out, "

there's something I need to tell you and you're not going to like it."

He rested his forehead in his palms, "And you think I liked this? What is it?"

"Kim won't permit me to go on a mission alone."

"O...kay, just get one of our guys. Some of them, at least, have training."

"This is why you need those eight hours. Kim is coming with me."

"No."

"I said that. She said-"

"No." He wouldn't even look up at her.

"Damn it, listen to me! She said only as backup. Think about who we're talking about here. I don't have a choice. If something goes wrong, she IS the best person to jump in. It's her call. Think about what would happen if we denied her the opportunity. I go out, something went wrong. Whether you like it or not, she's already on her way to my last known location. If you try to stop her and something does happen to me, she'll hate all of you and solve her suffering _permanently_."

"It's too soon, from what you've told me, it's too soon." He shook his head, disapproving everything she was saying.

"No shit! This is the best we can do. She doesn't take part in the mission, just backup. We just focus on not fucking up. We plan it right, reduce risks, and she takes no part in it…, for as long we can, even if she thinks she's ready."

They both fell silent a moment. Shego hated herself. She kept forgetting how young Wade was. And while he was forced into a maturity no one should be forced into, Shego only saw and spoke to him as an adult. Genius or not, his body and brain were still developing.

"I know I'm going off topic but I need you to know, I regret your participation in this. I'm thankful, appreciative, grateful, but I regret needing you. You shouldn't be a part of any of this. I don't..., I can't trust anyone else. Not when it comes to Kim."

"It's fine, anything else you want to tell me?"

This miffed her slightly. She was trying to be sympathetic, "Just get some rest. We'll talk later."

"Fine. Wade ou-"

"Wait. Do you need something? You know, to put you out?"

"I don't know, maybe." Wade didn't like taking medication for anything more than just a headache. He valued his brain to a point of being overcautious. The last thing he wanted was to be unfocused with clouded or disorganized thoughts.

"Go to the kitchen, third cabinet from the right, there's a tin taped to the right wall of the top shelf. Take a third of _one_ pill. It… it's helped a few henchmen in the past. Last I checked there's seven pills, if I see any more of what I told you to take missing, you will be removed from operation and I'll let the world burn, got it?"

"I got it Shego, calm down. Why is it even hidden?"

The subtlest of smirks came and vanished, "Believe it or not, Dr. D. didn't like narcotics in his lairs. His big ideas came at night when all the henches were sleeping. When he got excited, he was obnoxiously loud for several nights. It was killing his contractors. So, pills went around where people could get 'em without being noticed. Anyway, that's where it is. Now catch some shut eye." He nodded and signed off.

Shego stared at the walls of the room, hating it more and more every second. She put her feet up on the desk and tried to think of where to find more allies. She ruminated over political members and global leaders that could help. She thought about manipulating unstable governments to her advantage but there were obvious drastic repercussions. She was jumping ahead of herself. She absolutely needed to know every head involved before she could act. She rubbed her tired eyes with the palms of her hands. She wished this just ended with Betty. She wish none of it existed. Her mind trailed off and wondered if she would put in this much effort if Kim wasn't involved. If she had known, would she had taken the steps to eradicate this type of evil from the world? Would she have been complacent? _Just thoughts and prayers, right? I'm a fucking monster._ Rustling came from the Kimmunicator again. Shego stood up and hoped it would just settle like it did before. Then it escalated to something shattering causing her to rush back upstairs.

At the doorway of Kim's bedroom, "Pumpkin?"

"WHERE'S SHEGO!?" Kim screamed at her holding a broken lamp as a weapon.

Shego was baffled for a moment, she thought Kim might still be dreaming. She kept her voice calm, "I'm here, Kim. I'm right here."

Kim's voice growled angrily, "LIAR! YOU'RE CAMILLE LEON! DON'T FUCK WITH ME! I SHOULD HAVE… I SH-" her mind scattered, she couldn't remember why Camille might want Shego but she was convinced she did something, "WHERE IS SHE!?"

Shego's arms and chest tingled with a tinge of fear. "Kimmie, calm down. Okay? Look," she engulfed her hands with her glow. The green flame-like cloud lit the dark room, "Camille can't do that."

"IT'S A TRICK!" she gasped and lunged. She swung at Shego forcing her to dodge. "I'M NOT FUCKING STUPID!" She tried again, more forceful than her first attempt, swinging high to low and then ending her attack with a swift stab, missing Shego only by a hair. Shego rolled away and then backpedaled on the floor into the hallway nearly falling down the stairs. Kim stared down at her, " _I swear_ if you hurt her, I'LL MASSACRE YOU!" The throaty growl with each emphasized word was chilling.

That deadly look with every intent to harm actually instilled a new type of terror in Shego. Kim was ready to attack again until Shego did the only thing she could to convince her, "Kim stop! Look at me!" She put her hands up and engulfed her entire body in her glow. Shego's clothes were beginning to smoke and quickly did it flicker to a flame. Her t-shirt was pushed outwards by the force of her own glow and luckily, incinerated before it could start another fire. Her shorts, while thicker, suffered the same fate. Kim could feel the heat radiating and the fire alarms went off. Shego didn't react to them. After a couple seconds, she extinguished herself and left the floor, the railing, and the wall an ashy black. "Pumpkin, please, put the lamp down. You know no one else knows of my full body glow."

Kim hesitated with a shudder and dropped the lamp. Reality rushed in and Kim could hardly contain the immense sorrow for her mistake. She cringed immediately, "I'm-I'm s-sorry. I just thought-" the intensity of her emotions made her so certain Shego was in danger but she couldn't remember why or how. She couldn't connect how she was in her home or how someone could enter it at all. But that feeling was too convincing, "I don't know-I don't know … I don't know." She backed herself into a wall and slid to the floor. She clutched her hair with a lost expression on her face.

Shego approached her, "I'm here and I'll _never_ be away from you. I promise." She cautiously took her into a hug while Kim swallowed her tears. Kim could feel the heat still dissipating off Shego's skin like a full body fever.

She gulped and took a breath, "It felt real. I don't know. It just felt re-" her breath faded and shook, "I was just thinking-" another sharp gasp, "that she got out of prison and- ...I don't know." Her voice cracked with a soft crying groan.

"It's not real, but I am." Shego tried to stay calm and composed. "Pumpkin, I'm going to turn off the alarm. It's a voice command, okay?" Kim nodded and held Shego tight. "Echoe one, fire, re-arm!" The fire alarm shut off immediately. "We have a couple hours, let's get you back to bed. I'll be right next to you." Shego lifted and carried her to bed. The action made Kim feel a little conflicted. She was grateful but felt pathetic.

Kim covered her eyes with her hands as Shego laid her down. Kim kept whispering, "I'll get better, I'll get better…"

"There's nothing wrong with you." Shego simply held Kim until she was asleep. No glow, no heated massage, just pure and simple contact. When she was sure Kim was asleep again, she took a moment to examine Kim's hands. They were healing quickly but her grip alone could tear ligaments. She checked for any swelling and didn't see any immediately. She would need to confirm with Kim later.

~oO0Oo~

Morning quickly came and Kim's alarm went off. Shego went to grab her Kimmunicator but realized she left it in the den. She cringed knowing that she had a call going the entire time. What she said only hours earlier. The line was secure, that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the fire alarm went off and alerted Wade. He probably forced a call in.

"Stay in bed for a little longer and I'll get breakfast ready." Kim nodded silently to Shego's request. Shego got out of bed and quickly to the den. She picked up her Kimmunicator and ended the ongoing call. She immediately dialed Ron. He was, after all, in charge.

First ring, "What's up?"

A tone of anger escaped her voice, "Is Wade asleep?"

"Yes."

"Do you know when he went to bed?"

"About twenty minutes ago." Shego sighed, nearly a growl, to this.

"Alright. I'll call you later."

"Ron ou-" Shego hung up before he could finish.

She dialed Wade immediately after.

Two rings, "I thought you wanted me to-"

Shego took a tone that shook Wade to his bones, "What… DID… YOU… _HEAR!_?"

Wade woke immediately to this, swallowing hard before speaking, "If Kim can trust me y-you can trust me."

"FUCK!," Her eyes were terrifying, "Do you understand the consequences if you leak any of this to anyone?" She spoke entirely through gritted teeth.

"I-I understand. I do. I am a lock without a key. I won't tell anyone. I kind of suspected. I-I-I mean with the suit, why else would you need the entire suit to withstand…, I haven't said a thing, I won't!"

Her eyes flexed with irritation, frustration, and anger, "Not even my brothers, _Wade_ , no one knows but you... and Kim. I will go full NUCLEAR on everyone before they have a chance to prepare to fight me."

"Sh-Shego, I swear!" It had been quite a long time since Wade felt fear of Shego.

"GO TO SLEEP!" she finally growled. She was about to hang up just before he snuck in a sentence.

"Shego, tell her she's still in prison. I checked. Everyone. I checked everyone, it's why I didn't go to sleep until now. We need to talk but it can wait. Just, she's safe. Tell her that."

Shego was still in a rage, more at herself than at Wade. She took a long deep breath, "Okay," and hung up. Shego tried to calm herself but realized she was raging not too quietly. She looked to the ceiling with eyes closed and raised her voice, "Pumpkin, everything's fine. It's not your fault, it's mine. I just get nervous, I shouldn't have reacted that way. I trust him. I do." Shego sighed, bringing her head back down, and walked up the stairs locking the door. She didn't see Kim waiting for breakfast and hoped she only spoke to the air. She went ahead and started cooking something quick and brought it to Kim. "Breakfast in bed?"

"I'm sorry," came the weak reply.

Disappointed that Kim heard, "It's not your fault."

Kim stuffed her face into the pillow, "I'm sorry," came another apology, muffled through the pillows.

Shego set the breakfast aside and sat on the bed with her, "Kim? If I can't hate myself for all the bad I've done to you, you can't be sorry for things that aren't your fault." Kim lifted her head from the pillows but remained quiet. She stroked her hair, "Do you want to talk about it? I'm here for you." Kim shook her head 'no'. "Okay," a beat, "Wade wanted me to assure you, she's still in prison. He checked the statuses of everyone, no one can touch you."

Kim nodded subtly and sighed deeply. "I really don't know how much longer I can do this. I just feel… I am… helpless," her voice became weak and void of any confidence, "...useless."

Shego had every intent to correct that train of thought, "I can put you to work, if you want. You wouldn't be part of the overall missions yet."

"You aren't going alone," she was stern with her reply, commanding, suddenly. Kim could only assert herself if there was a need for it. Otherwise, she regressed.

"I know, I know. That's not what I meant. You'll be training my brothers, like we talked about before, but you're in no condition now - soon."

Kim bounced between helplessness and forced determination, "I need to see the team. I need to see Ron, Wade, even Drakken. I need to talk with them."

Shego almost cringed but had remained neutral, "Kimmie, can we revisit this topic over the weekend? I just don't think… _right_ now… is a good time." Her eyes pleaded with Kim's. They tried not to be offensive but it was clear to Kim that Shego didn't trust her stability.

Kim hung her head low, "Fine, okay. You probably won't let me go to class either."

Shego rubbed her back, "I never said that. We may be a little late, but I can get you there. That is, if you _really_ want to go."

Kim was silent, not really sure of herself. All she could think about was how her life felt it had been defecated from the deep bowels of a hydra. She wanted to feel sorry for herself but the notion made her think she was pathetic. She thought she had nothing to truly complain about when she saw who the real victims were. A disgusted whisper lurched from her throat, "I don't know."

Every saddened pain from Kim squeezed Shego's heart but she remained composed, she had to be. "Well, here's what I think we should do. Today, we're going to take a personal day. We're going to work out, with extra towels, extra clothes, and maybe even spar a little. I'll pack lunch. Ooo and," her eyes widened, "over lunch we can talk about Monday," she offered a smile in hopes Kim would return one as well. Kim only deadpanned a nod. "Okay then, I'll start packing, you eat breakfast, and we'll head out." Shego kissed her head and brought the breakfast table to Kim. She tried to act brightly while leaving the room in hopes to brighten her mood, but she felt self-conscious about it, thinking that it was inappropriate when someone was feeling so terrible. Luckily, if you could call it lucky, Kim thought nothing of it.

~oO0Oo~

A quick glance at Kim, "You wanna fly?" Shego spoke mid flight as no conversation had been going. Kim shook her head 'no'. "'Kay." Shego really wanted to get her talking so she wouldn't focus too much on what happened. A nice smile, "Hey, who was your most irritating villain? I remember mine, he called himself The Contronyminator." Shego waved her hands in outward arc to stress the silliness of his name.

"Shego, I know what you're doing. Thank you, I just can't right now."

"Okay, I'll let you be." Shego did even though she felt a little defeated. Fortunately, about a few minutes passed and Kim got curious.

A quick breath and a short sigh, "Alright, who's The Contronym-whatever."

Shego smirked a bit, glad to have started something, "Nuh uh, he was The Contro _nyminator_." She scrunched her nose with another subtle smile as she pronounced the name with emphasis.

"Okay then, Contro _NYMINATOR._ " Kim subtly mocked in the same manner, "What did he do? Some kind of 'fun with words' guy?"

Shego's smile grew, "Something like that. You know those really annoying people that like to use a pun with every sentence? This guy used contronyms any chance he got. This one time he had this high velocity stapler thing, managed to get my hair, he wouldn't shut up about how he 'clipped my hair'. Or this one time he dropped this ridiculously large belt buckle on top of Mego and couldn't stop cackling. It was how we caught him too. The idiot just couldn't stop laughing."

Kim huffed a little, "What happened to him?"

Shego celebrated internally for heading in the right direction, "The guy tried to do something with common household dust - he just collected dirty vacuum cleaner bags - and almost died breathing it in; laughing. He's in Go Asylum probably still cackling. Worst… supervillain… ever. What about you?" Shego was glad to get her talking this far but she was on the edge of her seat to see if she would take the bait and continue.

Kim hesitated, "I would have said Aviarious, but that's more your enemy than mine…, also some good memories there." She smirked a little, "I bet you wish I had Wego's powers then, huh. You know, with your little vacation you had by yourself afterwards."

Shego dropped her shoulders, "Oh shuuut uuup! Yes, I wanted you bad," she explained, " _yes_ it was probably really wrong at the time," she reasoned, "and yes that was a fantasy, but ugh, first time we fought together, so good! I got so close to you, I was _in_ your house! I couldn't take it, so I… went on vacation."

"To be _massaged_ by me-copies?"

"There weren't any! It's why I threw a fit! I was frustrated… staahp, you're killing me! AND I am ABSOLUTELY sure I would have stopped myself had they done what was asked!" Shego pouted. Kim managed to let out a small laugh. Shego looked at her with begging eyes and tried to get back on topic, "You still haven't answered the question."

"Fine, fine, um… I don't know, Drakken kind of comes to mind… sorry."

"No no, that's fair. He may be a friend, but he's definitely either irritating or boring. Hey, how are your hands?"

"Better." Kim flexed her fingers slowly, "I could, but probably shouldn't, grip anything. Especially after-" she stopped herself and sighed, "I guess that means the bike again."

"We can work out your arms too, safely. And, if you think you can withstand this," she motioned a hand over her own body causing Kim to snort, "I can spot you."

"No dancing."

"No promises."

~oO0Oo~

Will Du felt the additional ten minutes he gave was enough time for anyone to be appropriately late. And, given how punctual Kim usually was, it was enough to justify rushing to Dr. Director's office with a new status. Betty's door was open and Will promptly knocked on the doorframe which caused Betty's head to rise. He gave his brief report, "Ma'am, there has been no sign of Kim at her university today. Shego is also missing."

A subtle clenching of her teeth, "When was the last sight of them?"

Promptly, "Yesterday, Kim was found entering the library at the end of her classes. She did not appear to exit the building. Our assumptions are that she exited under cloak as usual. We… have not been able to follow Shego since her public appearance."

Betty ground her teeth a bit more noticeably but didn't add any further tension in her face to hide her frustration. "Inform me the moment either of them make an appearance."

"Of course." Will exited with a nod and could feel the pressure on him to find them. He left, returning to his desk with the thought of what Cynthia had said to him. _Why is it so important to her?_ He attempted to shake the thought away so he could focus on his task at hand but Cynthia literally nudged him.

Quietly, "Sooo… how'd she take it?" Will only looked at her with pursed lips. "That doesn't make this feeling I've got any better."

Dismissive, "It doesn't mean anything."

"Guessing we need to find them?"

His voice as stoic as ever, "You guessed right."

~oO0Oo~

Hego's hands began to hurt as he tried to slam them together as hard as he could to create the devastating shockwave he had done once before. "Argh! DAMN IT!" He gave up, exhausted from his numerous attempts, "I can't do it again," he ended up sitting on the floor to rest. He stared at his and around the empty room with his brother.

"I'm in the same boat big guy." Mego shrank down as small as he could, "Do I look smaller to you?'

Hego's looked down at him, "Eh, about the same."

He grew back to his original size, "Yeah, figured," he joined his brother on the floor. "Sis' said to focus on the glow inside us. She made it sound so easy."

A part of them thought they were doing the same thing they had last time when Shego instructed them. Imagine the glow and grab it was a simple enough concept. Another part of them, however, felt fear. Tapping into their power as they did before completely drained them. But this wasn't what stopped them. They were prepared to go as far as Shego needed them. It was the pressure. Getting to where they needed to be when Shego needed them.

"I'm going to break my hands if I try again." He groaned trying to ball them into a fist, "They're throbbing."

"I know, you'll heal. But we gotta tap into it soon."

"Yeah." How much longer would it be before they understood the power within them?

~oO0Oo~

Kim had already started her workout with Shego spotting her. The burning in her muscles made Kim smile and kept her mind focused at the task at hand. Shego leaned over from behind Kim bench pressing, "See? Behaving." Shego was ready to protect Kim from the large weights she was pressing without any funny business.

"For now."

Shego smiled, "For now," she turned on workout mode, "Give me five of these and we'll work on your legs next."

Kim was ambitious as always, "Fuck your five, I'll give you fifteen."

Shego shook her head at her, "There's no turning back now Cupcake and I'll make you eat those words." Kim got past her five, her ten, even her thirteenth, but fourteen was only half way. "Come on, POSSIBLE!" Fourteen. Kim took a few needed breaths before pursuing her final push. Kim's face was a bright red and she tried focused on her breathing. She blew in big huffs. "How do your words taste?," Shego taunted, "Are they a little salty? They seemed a little salty to me," she chuckled. Kim's heart throbbed in her head but that determination was something to admire. Shego continued to mock, "I thought anything was possible, Kimmie." Fifteen. Shego caught the weight and set it. Shego shook her head in disbelief, "Pff. You are one amazing woman, you know that?"

Kim was breathless and could only heave her reply in one big exhaling huff, "I think my arms are broken." A quick chuckle followed.

Shego leaned on the weight and looked down at her, "Did you learn your lesson?"

The blood from her face finally receded to the rest of her body, "You know…," a breath, "I…" another, "haven't." They both laughed. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"Alright, time to get hydrated. Stay there, I'll get some juice." She quickly went to the fridge and came back. "Drink it slow."

Kim was still breathing heavily and weakly raised a hand to grab the drink as Shego helped sit her upright. "I want to um," a sip taken, "I want to skip our session today."

"You sure?" Shego shared her concern.

"Yeah, I'll tell her about what happened tomorrow. Right now, I just want this," Kim motioned to the area they were in, "I'm sorry, you can go if you want," she took a few moment to drink the cool fluid, "I can stay here. I don't want to stop your appointment too."

"Told you this spot was nice. Tell you what, today let's skip, beat each other up, and watch the sun go down. But I want you to be a little weaker, so leg press is next," Shego smirked gingerly.

Kim gave a nod, "I'll be ready in five minutes."

"In a rush to get beat?"

A little huff, "I need to stay in the zone."

"Ha! Sounds good. I'm gonna make a quick call to Ron."

"Ron?" Kim's head quickly snapped towards Shego's direction. A minor mistake on her part as the world still spun around her.

"I put him in charge for today. Was giving Wade a break. You want to talk to him?"

Kim blinked, "In charge?"

Shego looked to Kim while getting her Kimmunicator ready to call, "Not liking my management skills, Pumpkin?"

"I mean, it's just, you and Ron… does not compute."

"Pff, neither did _your_ relationship with him either."

"Don't be mean, you know why that is, anyway."

Shego hummed a smug chuckle, "Hmm, yeah, that I do. Anyway, talk? No talk?"

"I'll peek over your shoulder to say 'hi'," she smiled.

"'Kay," she dialed.

He picked up quickly, "Hello, Shego," he said weakly, "What do you need?"

"Kim wants to say 'hi'."

She peeked over, "Hi, Ron."

"KP! HOW'S-how's it goin'?"

"I'm a little worn out from my workout, how's leadership?"

Far more chipper now that he was able to talk to Kim, "I have NO IDEA what I'm doing, KP, but nothing had gone on fire yet, I mean except for Drakken I guess, but they're out now… I think… let me check." He hit a button on a console, "Drakken, are the fires out?"

An exasperated, "YeeeEEEeeess… and it's _DOCTOR_ DRA-," came over the Kimmunicator before Ron cut him off.

"Yeah, it's out."

Shego jumped in, "Wade is taking his needed rest?"

Ron rolled his eyes, reluctant to speak with her, "Yes, still resting."

"Ron?," not believing him

"Yes!"

"Alright, fine… thank you." Her thank you to Ron creased a corner of his mouth. Ron didn't believe a bit of Shego's politeness. She quickly concluded, "We'll talk later."

"Mm fine. Bye KP."

"Bye."

"Ron out."

Shego let out a heavy sigh. "I don't care if he hates me but I need him to trust me." It was more than just a little hampering. Shego had so many moving parts to think about. And while she reasoned Ron was an important priority, it was just so much lower than all the others. Maybe after she helps Kim become more stable, after she maintains her threats to keep global justice away, after she manages the teams responsible for tracking the ugly heads responsible for the living nightmare that GJ is connected to, after managing the teams responsible for developing new defensive and offensive tech, after she settles in as an acting teacher that was right around the corner, after she tries to train her brothers with Kim, and after she attempts to maintain her own sanity, maybe she'll squeeze in some time to have a long talk with Ron about her past.

Kim tried to assure her, "He will, in time. He trusts Wade."

"I suppose that's enough right now," a brief moment of realization, "Wait, you make it sound like he doesn't trust you."

Kim looked away a moment. A brief memory of his hurt face affirmed her feelings, "It's complicated. It involves our breakup. He didn't want our past relationship to end… he didn't take it so well and doesn't understand why I was with him in the first place and feels… I guess… emasculated." Shego was a little surprised and respectfully didn't comment. "And well, you know what happened when I told him about you. He likely doesn't trust my judgment. He says he does but," she sighed, "I can tell. And, he loves me and I _do_ love him, but not the way he wants. He just doesn't understand and I know he's hurting… Sorry, I'm unloading on you."

She put a defensive hand up, "I get it, Pumpkin. I normally wouldn't care, but I do pity the guy. And you aren't unloading; I asked." A beat, "I really didn't get why he hated me so much… Wait, let me rephrase. I didn't understand why he hated me so much more than Drakken or any other villain. I do now." Shego didn't know how to follow up. She wasn't sure what she wanted to communicate, but Ron was a topic that lingered on her mind since the start. His hatred was something she didn't understand fully nor was she fully prepared to handle it. He was just a buffoon after all. A buffoon she needed his cooperation with. "I don't want to give him special treatment but I don't know how else to get him trust me. I'm not atoning the actions of my past for him. I'm doing it for you. AND, before you say anything, I'm working on forgiving myself. No more baggage." She smiled at Kim.

"I feel you have more to tell."

Shego smirked and thought her point got through. She felt bad for Ron. She cared. That's it. No more to add. "No. Leg press. Don't even try to wiggle out of," she finger quoted, "your zone, five minutes were up five minutes ago."

Kim smiled to herself. She knew Shego found Ron annoying but to see she didn't actually hate him was uplifting. "Fine fine, let's do it."

~oO0Oo~

Kim and Shego were in the middle of sparring. Shego took a stance, "Come on Princess, come at me!" Kim went charging at her from the other side of the room and was already heavily out of breath. Shego took a sudden change in her stance, held out her hands in a panic, and yelled, "WAIT!"

Kim tried to stop her momentum and stumbled a bit, "What? What is it?"

"Lunch," she snickered.

Kim flopped to her knees and then to her back, "You suck! Don't do that… What did you bring?" She stared at the woman standing over her and took the time to catch her breath.

"Sandwich stuff with some different spreads."

Shego made her signature sandwiches and set two large pillows on the floor from the bedroom. With only one chair at the kitchen table they would have had to take turns eating or have at least one of them standing. This was an easy-enough-to-do compromise. They sat back-to-back and ate with their side facing the large window viewing the pond.

"You wanna tell your Monique friend about Monday?" Shego quickly finished her first sandwich before Kim could even get through half of hers.

Kim took a moment to chew the mouthful she had before speaking, "You're really okay with bringing her?"

Shego shrugged, "Why not? Not like it'll be awkward or anything, right?," Shego huffed lightly, "It'll give her a chance to trust me, not that I expect any of that, but sooner we get through the awkward bits, the better. I want to be part of your life and if that means being with your friends sometimes, I'm _actually_ glad to do that." She became a bit sarcastic, "It'll be great!"

Kim munched on another bite and swallowed, "I really appreciate it." Kim turned to hug from behind with part of a sandwich in her hand, "Thanks." She leaned her head on Shego's back, "Should I call, now?"

Shego could feel Kim's excitement and snorted, "Sure. Or I could call," she grinned.

"I'll put us on speaker so we can be clear on the plan." Shego was a little surprised and had not expected to talk to Monique but hadn't said anything. Her reply wasn't meant to be taken seriously. All the same, Kim dialed.

After a few rings, "Kim? Hey, what's up?" Shego swallowed nervously, already feeling awkward.

"Hey, Shego had an idea, are you free Monday?"

"Woah, you know how I don't like those two words so close together. 'Shego' and 'idea' usually isn't safe, Kim." Shego immediately rolled her eyes.

Kim snickered, "It's a really good idea, I approved. Also, you're on speaker."

"Wait, you mean she's-"

"Um, hi," Shego reluctantly greeted.

"Oh." Her voice carried a little bit of worry.

Shego just continued on, "Yeah. _Anyway,_ the idea Monique, is take you guys out on a shopping spree, all expenses paid at a place you wouldn't normally be allowed in."

"What she talkin' 'bout Kim?"

"Well…, Shego wanted to do something nice-" she was suddenly cut off.

"Not possible, but go on."

Shego facepalmed and shook her head.

"Monique!" Kim admonished.

"Alright, alright. What's the deal?"

Kim relaxed her voice to something more cheerful, "Just out to give me a new wardrobe, you to give an additional opinion, and we'll get you something too if you want. Come on, come join us."

"So like Club Banana?" She lingered on the last word a bit.

Shego couldn't hold back a laugh, "Try Rodeo Drive, heard of it?"

"You're lying."

Shego merely teased, "Well, if you don't want to go, you don't want to go."

"Kim, is she for real?"

"She is, Mon."

Monique squealed, "YES I WANT TO GO! MONDAY JUST BECAME FREE!" Kim had to hold the Kimmunicator back to withstand Monique excitement. It didn't occur to Monique how she would get their but she supposed, with Kim, anything was possible.

"Hmm, great," Shego became a bit more serious, "Monique, how much had Kim told you about our situation?"

"Only that it's serious."

"And it is. And that means we need you to do exactly as we say to keep Kim and everyone safe. Do you understand?"

Monique's tone became wrought with worry, "Kim, am I going to be a risk here? I don't want to do this then."

Kim sensed Monique was calculating different ways the day could go wrong. She encouraged, "Monique, come on, it's fine. Shego, tell her it's fine."

"It's fine…," she continued, "as long as she does what we say."

"Kim?," she whined.

Kim looked at Shego with a disapproving look, "Shego, just tell her what she needs to do."

"Alright, listen. There are some very bad people after Kim. I've got some good old fashioned blackmail that keeps them away but I still don't want any of them tracking us. So we're doing our best to keep out of view with stealth. You don't have that option. So, if anyone follows you to us, our cover is pretty much blown. BUT, no one should be looking in your direction anyway. I'd just rather take the precaution."

This hadn't made Monique feel any better but she wanted to know what to expect, "What do you need me to do?"

Shego continued, "I need you to be sick on Monday. Buy some soup, more tissues, cold and flu medicine, anything that leaves a paper trail for not following your usual routine. Then, all I need you to do is wait. I will take you to Kim's ship, and we'll be off to a girls day out. How's that sound, hmm?"

"Kim, I don't know about this."

"Monique-"

Shego interrupted, "Look, this is your once in a lifetime chance to see _some_ of the real me, which is _way out_ of my comfort zone. This can be the _start_ of numerous occasions where we splurge and possibly have a good time. Lastly, Kim wants you to come which essentially means you're coming!"

"Okay! Okay. W-when should I start buying stuff?" Monique was forcing herself to trust Kim. The thought of being near Shego was still a concern. It was surreal.

"You act like you never faked being sick before."

"I haven't!"

Shego rolled her eyes with emphasis, "Just start coughing and clearing your throat around the end of day Friday. Saturday, buy some tissues, Sunday get the medicine, and doy, call out on Monday. We're likely being over cautious but this removes any suspicion if someone looks into what you've been doing. We'll call you in the morning."

"Okay."

Kim smiled, "Great!"

"Kim?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm with Shego, so yes. We can talk more on Monday. We'll have a lot of fun, I promise."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," a beat, "but excited. And… thanks Shego- oof that felt weird to say."

"Um yeah… Sure."

"See you Monday."

"Bye guys."

Kim looked to Shego with a smirk, "That wasn't _so_ bad."

Shego gave a little eye-roll and mocked Monique's voice, "OOF _that_ felt weird to say," she returned to her normal voice, "Pff whatever."

"Could have been much worse."

"I thought you told her about me."

"I did, but one conversation does not equal, you know, our history. Just needs time and Monday will help."

She sighed, "If you say so, Kimmie. Hey, you wanna just relax for a bit?"

Kim shrugged, "Sure. My muscles could certainly use the break."

"I'll start some music, I'll be right back." Shego walked to her bedroom.

Kim shouted from the gym, "I said no dancing!"

"I said no promises!"

Kim was relieved to hear familiar ambient music, not something you could bring a dancer's pole out for.

Shego came back, "I meant it when I said I wanted to relax."

"Hmm, so you did."

Shego sat down behind Kim, "Lean forward, I'm gonna massage your neck and shoulders, no funny business… unless I feel like it."

"Hmm, 'kay." She leaned forward and had instant gratification from the hands upon her neck.

"Why do you push yourself so hard?"

"Because, mmm, I can. And this, what you're doing, is another good reason to."

Shego shook her head at her, "You're crazy, Pumpkin."

"Mm hmm, more rubbing." Shego pushed her playfully to retaliate but resumed. Kim chuckled. She enjoyed several minutes of the massage until she just leaned back into the woman behind her.

"Hey, I'm not done." She couldn't help but wrap her arms around her. Kim didn't respond and just enjoyed being held. "You're gonna be sore as hell tomorrow." Kim shrugged. "Alright, alright, I'll shut up." Kim nodded which earned her a gentle slap on the arm.

A few songs came and went and then a waltz began which surprised Kim, "Um?"

"Ooh, get up. We're dancing to this."

A brief blink in confusion, "What? We are? Really?"

Shego seemed too excited, "Yes, up! I'll lead, come on!" Shego ran to her bedroom and increased the volume so the room seemed filled with nothing but sound.

"O...kay." Kim got up, surprised that Shego, of all people, would listen to ballroom music. Kim gave a confused laugh as she placed her hand in Shego's.

"Okay, here we go," she grasped Kim's hand gently and smiled brightly to the classical tempo. They spun around the floor with Kim lagging only a little. Shego almost wished Kim was in a formal dress to see it flow as they danced. Kim was happy to see the bliss and excitement from her but her confusion was further added when Shego said, "It's coming."

"What's coming?" A grin was her reply. The music distorted with a chaotic melody of sounds which soon became a recognizable beat. A strong bass flooded the room and the percussion, similar to the waltz, set the new tempo. Kim giggled, relieved there was some secret meaning behind Shego's excitement.

Shego shouted over the volume of the music, "Thought I was bat-shit crazy, didn't you!?"

Kim twirled around and danced with the beat, "I'll say you had me a little worried!" Shego cackled a laugh jokingly. Kim was enjoying it fully, letting herself go to the music and danced with Shego.

"Here comes another!"

"I don't know what that means!" They were then rushed with a rapidly increasing percussion followed by a booming beat that caused them to jump in unison. The sound chased and shook Kim through her feet and up her back.

"You like it!?"

Kim shouted with glee, "I love it!"

Shego shouted her laughter. When the music was reaching its end, it regressed to its original waltz gradually and both adapted to the change. The song ended with them together in arms again.

Kim's heart was still beating hard and her smile hadn't been that bright in a long time, "That was… really amazing." Every good deed flooded Kim's mind as she stared at Shego. She didn't just protect her, she arranged protection for her family and friends. She made every effort to make Kim happy. She made every effort to support Kim.

Shego giggled her reply, "Thanks. Took me a couple months to compose that. But hey, I had the time." The next track went back to the smooth ambience, calming the room.

Kim looked at Shego lovingly and took her into a hug, "UGH! I love you so much!"

Without hesitation, Shego returned the hug and spoke the same heartfelt words in reply. They decided to sit, Kim in Shego's arms again, and watched snow fall lightly through the large window. It was only a dusting but had the same calming effect as watching flames roll in a fireplace. Kim began chuckling a little.

"What's funny?"

Kim shook her head dismissively and sniffed, "N-nothing," came a weeping whisper.

"Kim?" What was thought to be fine became an immediate worry.

Silent tears fell, "I don't know, I'm just… it's so romantic…, nothing, it's stupid…," she wiped a few tears from her cheeks and shook her head, "Every-everything you do. I don't know, I'm just," she took a shaky breath, "overwhelmed."

"I didn't mean to make you-"

"You didn't, I'm actually really happy, I just," she whined quietly, "I just can't help it. I don't know what's wrong with me. This is really really nice." Another whisper, "I'm sorry. I'm okay, really, it just won't stop."

"Really?" Shego rubbed Kim's shoulders and down the sides of her arms.

Kim nodded and took a few breaths, "Yeah. Ugh, you must think I'm so crazy." She sniffed hard.

"You aren't crazy Kim. Stressed, tired, and maybe a little worn out, but not crazy. You wanna take a nap? I could use one myself." Kim turned and looked at her with misty eyes and tried to judge if Shego was being serious. She looked back at Kim, "I haven't really slept in thirty-something hours."

"O-oh, sure." Kim sniffled and wiped her tears away, still quite emotional.

~oO0Oo~

Kim laid awake next to a softly breathing Shego. An arm draped over Kim's waist that would occasionally tighten unconsciously and was followed by brief, soft pecks on her shoulder. It seemed Shego was having pleasant dreams. Kim smiled each time she felt a squeeze but was left alone with her thoughts as sleep was not on its way. Kim's body clock wouldn't allow it.

Her thoughts lingered on Ron. Her best friend and assumed soulmate since childhood. She worried about him. She worried about his worries with no resolution to abate them. She knew, and it was obvious, that she couldn't reset the past. The best Kim could do is understand. Acknowledge Ron's experience of almost losing his best friend to Shego's claws and then suffer an abrupt breakup. And then, as if to sautée his heart with coarse salt, lemon, and hot pepper, throw it in a fire to the news of her attraction and love for Shego. The very same woman that took his heart on this culinary journey to begin with. Maybe it was to be expected, Shego _was_ a wonderful chef.

She felt she had been selfish, thinking of her own desires. But she didn't regret what she did, at least not with how her relationship with Shego turned out. And now, with Shego pressed against her side, she couldn't be more happy with her decision to have pursued her.

Shego took a deep breath, waking slightly, and snuggled close to Kim's ear. She whispered, "Did you sleep?"

Kim recoiled with a smile from Shego's tickling breath, "I rested. Pleasant dreams?"

"Mm, yeah," she smiled. "You must have been bored."

"You kept me entertained."

Shego woke a little more quickly to this, "Oh no, what did I do?"

Kim smirked, "What didn't you do?"

"Kimmie, was it that bad?" The look of concern was funny to Kim.

Kim softly chuckled, "You didn't do anything except make me feel loved."

"Good… good."

Now she was curious, "What do you think you did?"

While Kim didn't really prod, Shego know that if she didn't tell her, Kim was going to persist until she got an answer. Shego just gave in, "Sometimes… when I have a good dream… I'm, you know, _active_ in bed. I didn't want to do that to you without you being okay with it… Also, sometimes things get singed." Kim raised a concerned eyebrow to this. "It's okay, you'll know it before it happens. Just push my arms up and away." Kim had no words. "I've kept it under control for years, okay? Mostly happened during my teens, and couple times with my last girlfriend. It's fine, she's fine, you're fine, everyone's fine!"

Kim could see her obvious embarrassment, "Shego, it's okay, it's not your fault. Seems like an autonomous reaction to a delightfully unconscious activity. I'll be sure to wake you up before it gets to that point… and then you'll be conscious of the things I'm going to do to you."

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do to me?"

"I guess we'll have to see during your next nap," a small grin graced Kim's lips.

Shego chuckled, "And everyone thinks _I'm_ evil. So what were you thinking about?"

Kim sighed, "Ron, actually."

Shego deadpanned, "What?"

"No no, I mean, I'm worried. I'm afraid he's going to try to do something to you and it's my fault. He's not that type of person, but, I don't know. Maybe I'm just overthinking."

Shego sighed back, "First off, no. We can safely conclude the buffoo-, the… Ron's hate for me is definitely _not_ your fault. It's pretty damn obvious it's mine. Look, Kimmie, I'll deal with him. You don't have to worry."

Kim tried to warn, "Ron's not weak, he really isn't."

"I know, Princess. He's amazed me more than once. "

Kim tried to keep the topic serious, "I want you to be careful. There's just so much he doesn't understand and I think we need to start talking to him."

Shego tries to push back, knowing where the conversation was heading, "I don't want to make you relive-"

"The longer we wait… I don't want to torment him any more than I already have. He's my best friend." Kim's eyes begged. She knew she wasn't completely ready but she needed to try to loop Ron in even if it was going to open wounds that haven't even healed yet.

Shego hesitated. She damned herself internally for not being able to say 'no' to Kim. "Alright, Pumpkin, but I need to talk to him first. One last attempt to show him I'm not the person he thinks I am." Kim nodded, but not so confidently. "Hey, so far, no problems."

"Except for the nacco incident."

Shego sighed, "Except for the nacco incident."

~oO0Oo~

As they exited the safe house, "Oh hell. That's something to keep in mind in the future. Damn it." Shego cursed at the sight of the cloaked ship covered with a thin layer of snow.

"I'm sure it's fine. An aerial view wouldn't show up. It's still white on white."

"Yeah… maybe. This location can't be picked up either. It's fine." She repeated to herself, "It's fine." She began clearing off as much snow as she could, "Start it up, we'll melt what's left."

Kim went in and started the ship, letting it warm up quickly. She encouraged Shego to give up on her efforts to clear the white frozen dust, "Come on, you brushing a few snowflakes off isn't worth the effort."

"You're right, you're right." Shego went in and waited a couple minutes.

"Dinner and a movie?" Kim asked, hoping for approval.

"Dinner and back to study, Kim," she said disapprovingly. "Come on, we had a pretty good day, besides, think about how great Monday is going to be, that is, if your friend doesn't make it weird."

Kim snickered, "That's what's going to make it great." Shego grunted. "It'll be fine, just remember, she doesn't know you like I do. No one does, except, maybe, for Wade." Kim thought a moment, "How _have_ you two been working?"

The ship accelerated upwards and they were on their way back to the Possible's home.

"Well, if it weren't for our goal, we probably wouldn't be." Shego quickly tried to skip over that detail quickly in hopes not to trigger anything. "I think we're _actually_ friends. I don't know."

"Aww, that's adorable. My girlfriend's making friends!"

"Shut up, Kim. You know, only a few years ago I'd have no problem leaving all your friends alone in a snake pit. This is hard for me."

Kim didn't believe it for a moment, "Would you _really_?"

Shego muttered quietly, "I would if I'd known you were going to be right there to rescue them." She looked at a smirking Kim. "Hey, don't act like I never had a dark past." She spoke more quietly again, "I still have trouble with it."

"Shegooo…"

"I know you meant nothing by it. No more baggage."

"And forgiving yourself."

"Yeah, I-I am."

"Good."

~oO0Oo~

Another full day passed and Will Du rushed to Dr. Director's office, pausing just briefly before knocking on the door. He was asked to enter.

"Report."

"Kim was sighted with Shego on school grounds seven minutes ago. Kim was found exiting the Library at 8:45AM this morning."

"Where have they been for the past thirty-two hours?"

"That time slot is still under investigation…, ma'am."

A long silence was held between them. She turned to face him. "Dismissed."

Will left, unsure exactly how to take that encounter. Anything involving Kim or Shego changed how he saw his superior. Despite her strong composure, every engaged conversation about the subject seemed to invoke some sense of fear or tension in her.

~oO0Oo~

Shego snuggled close to Kim under the covers of her bed. Shego thought it wise to only work half nights until she was more confident Kim could sleep alone without succumbing to a night terror. Strangely enough, Kim suffered less of those with Shego near. Work, as quick as she needed to give it attention, was not going to go any faster by being awake without any ideas than being asleep with the same sum of ideas. Another day had passed and come morning, Kim was going to see the lair, the team, and perhaps everyone's progress in the short time it's been to prepare for the war ahead.

Shego was restless as she had two major problems to deal with. The unknown of how Kim was going to handle everything that's going on, and Ron. A man pent up with so much hatred of her that it takes every ounce of his energy from trying to lash out at the very sight of her. _Kim said he'd try to give me a chance. Argh, I really wish I didn't need him._

She buried her nose under Kim's hair into the back of her neck. _Today's is going to be a shit day when it starts._ She forced her mind to drift towards Kim, _You smell so good._ Her mind slowly relaxed to Kim's scent and consciousness eventually slipped away.

Kim spoke suddenly, "I'm nervous."

 _I JUST got to sleep._ "We can skip, Kimmie. We don't have to-"

"No. I need to do this. I'm just-"

"Nervous."

"Yeah."

"See Wade first. I'll talk to Ron. Maybe see Dr. D. and we'll talk to Ron in my office afterwards."

"I don't feel good. I completely forgot about Drakken."

If Shego's hands weren't wrapped around Kim she would have facepalmed at the mention of Drakken. "He's helping because he wants to. I don't suppose you'd like to sleep now?"

"Right, sorry. Okay, let's sleep."

Shego gave her a kiss and closed her eyes.

"Should I wear my cheerleader uniform? You said he wanted an apology in a cheer."

Shego grumbled a moment, "I won't allow that. If he gives you trouble, you tell me."

"But I really-"

"Kimmie, he's helping. The man is a little misunderstood, maybe not a great guy, but he isn't the worst. Even I don't get his deal with the world. As far as I know, he's just a guy looking for respect. Just give him that and you're all set."

"But you disrespected him all the time."

"I also did everything he asked."

"He just wants people to do what he asks?"

"Uh doy, you didn't get that from the numerous times he tried to take over the world?"

"Alright, fine, whatever."

"Sleep?"

"Yeah. Sorry…, again."

"It's okay, Pumpkin." Shego snuggled close again and tried to relax. Then Kim whined a noise. Shego raised her hand and set it aflame above Kim's head.

"Okay, okay, okaaay!"

Shego smiled, extinguished her hand, and let the radiating heat roll over Kim's shoulders and down her back. Kim gave a soft moan to her touch. Shego spoke quietly, "Sleeeep."

Kim whispered back, "Okaaay."

* * *

I don't know how I feel about this chapter. I worked hard on the first scene because it was important to me and there were some other bits I tried to really tweak. Other scenes I just wanted some status of 'how the other guys are doing' but I didn't want them to be a focus. I'm also not sure how well people can relate to Kim chuckling into a tearful cry. That level of overwhelming emotion is hard for me to translate. That level of being so stressed and then just chuckling beyond your control and then crying. But, that's the point of crying, no matter if it's pain, joy, stress, what have you, crying is what your body does to handle being overwhelmed.

Next chapter, Kim visits the lair and we get some good angry Ron action.

Chapter 14 is our midway point to which I am going to beg for reviews - something that will help me gauge if I'm keeping you engaged, kinda engaged, you're reading cuz it's here kind of thing. Or if you have any questions, I want to be sure I answer them in a future chapter if I hadn't already.

UPDATE: Just a note - this will be the last of Kim's random trauma. I know I beat this dead horse too much but it IS trauma. It's not really uphill here from here, it's still a roller coaster until the end but hey, those peaks at the top are really great. Also, it's gonna be a couple weeks until I can get the next chapter out. Work has me workin' and my next chapter is tough for me to edit.


	13. Chapter 13

"Kimmie? Did you take your meds?" Shego asked the woman gripping the aircraft's seat as if it was the only thing left to cling to.

A quick swallow, "Mmhm."

Shego slowed the ship heading towards the lair, "We can skip. It's not a big deal." Her voice almost begged with the way Kim was acting.

Kim, as tense as she was, was firm, "No…, no, it's been too long already."

She glanced at Kim, "Well, can you relax a _little_? The last thing I want is you keeling over because you're-"

"Nervous." And that's all she was. Otherwise, she was in control.

"What's your biggest worry?"

A quick reply, "Drakken." It was about what she did to him. The memory made her wince internally. Every pummel reminded her how she severely crossed the line.

Shego was a little surprised. She assumed it would be more related to triggering another traumatic episode. At least, that was _her_ worry. Next on her list was Ron. Shego took comfort in this and brought the ship back up to speed, "He's not going to do anything."

Kim's eyes were searching, "I don't even know how to apologize for what I did to him. And now he's helping!? Do you have any idea how hard it is to apologize for doing something so awful to someone?"

Shego glared at Kim, "Yeah, I think I can name a few times."

"Right… sorry." Kim looked away for a moment and felt stupid for uttering those words.

"Just go in like you're ripping off a band-aid. Come on, anything's possible for a Possible, right?"

Kim sighed, "Right."

~oO0Oo~

The ship landed in the lair's hanger. Orange and yellow lights flashed around the pad, warning staff to keep distance until the craft disabled its cloak and landed. Yes, the lair had staff, ranging between newly acquired allies to loyal henches from Drakken's and Shego's past. The dark metal was only contrasted by the bright red bands of paint, edging the area where they parked, labeled '- - BAY 005 - -' in giant alphanumerics. There were six bays in the hanger with only two other ships occupying the available spaces and one oh-so-familiar abandoned weather machine. Shego disabled the cloak. Four staff members approached quickly in front of the the ship and stood attention.

"Who are they?" Kim had not expected new faces in the lair and was unsure if she needed to be concerned. Luckily Shego abated her fears quickly.

"Engineers. I'll introduce them to you. Come." Shego waved with a nudge of her head to the door and strapped on a book bag that contained Kim's supersuit. She lead the way to the team with Kim only lagging a little to observe the area.

Upon Shego's first step to the lair's floor, the four engineers spoke in unison, "Welcome back ma'am!" They shouted with respect similar to what you'd find in military. Shego enjoyed the respectful obedience but she cared less for the loud, signature volume.

She squinted to the volume and uttered a, "Thanks. At ease or whatever." She continued, "Listen up. Kim Possible is joining us today. She'll be touring and checking up on our progress. Karen, send out a message to everyone that Kim's arrived, but not before you say 'Hi'. That goes for the rest of you as well. Introduce yourselves… _casually_." Shego had not wanted Kim shouted at with every greeting. "Kim?"

Kim extended a hand and spoke first, "Hi, it's a pleasu-" but was immediately interrupted.

Karen gave her greeting with enthusiasm, "It's an honor to meet you ma'am. I'm Karen Li, Senior operator here. My team is at your disposal." She quickly accepted Kim's hand.

"It's a pleasure," Kim took her hand and saw a blush rising on Karen's cheeks and was unsure of its meaning.

They all took turns announcing their names and shaking her hand with adoration, "Dan Kale," "Cecil Karnesh," "Julia Cresston."

After their brief greeting, Shego wanted to move things along, "Alright, dismissed, the ship's waiting for you." She commanded the team and they dashed to perform needed routine maintenance. Now that they were in the lair, Shego couldn't fight or resist the situation any longer, "Kimmie, everyone in this lair is under your command, as am I. I won't restrict anything from you here, but I will advise, as needed, if I feel some things are too soon. Are you okay with this?"

Kim felt resolute with this new found inclusion, "I can do it."

Shego secretly wished she'd say 'no' and was slightly disappointed with Kim's answer. What was she to do with her limited options? Normal wasn't going to happen now and it wasn't coming any time soon. She hid her concerns, "Okay, let's go see Wade."

~oO0Oo~

Wade scanned the message that popped up on his message board, "That can't be right." He spoke to himself with mild irritation.

|Kim Possible is present. This is NOT a drill. Clear your desks immediately of any data referring, but not limited to, Belize, Omar, Burundi, and Global Justice. This is NOT a drill.

Wade had to read it three times to be sure he was seeing right. He immediately initialized an automated protocol in case the message turned out to be factual. He got up from his desk and proceeded to the hanger. He ended up meeting with Kim and Shego down a long corridor, "Kim? What are you doing here?" He looked to Shego, "Shego, what is she doing here?"

Kim thought her arrival would be a little more welcoming, "...Um…"

Shego was behind Kim, glaring at Wade, and motioned to smile emphatically. She gestured with her hands to her face with a creepy and angry smile. Wade nearly facepalm at the realization, "S-sorry Kim, it's not what you think. I _am_ really glad to see you, I just thought I'd get a _warning,"_ he glared at Shego and then quickly back to Kim, "of your arrival so we could clean up for you."

"You didn't see Karen's message?" Shego glared back. Wade pursed his lips in response.

Kim sensed the obvious tension, "Guys, stop. I'm just here for a brief visit, I wanted to say 'hi' to everyone. I missed you and I wanted to see how you were doing. That's all."

Wade apologized and softened, "Sorry. We miss you too."

Kim warmed to a smile and gave him a hug.

Shego wanted to let them catch up and trusted Wade to keep Kim in the dark. She was relieved their reunion made Kim happy and decided to move forward with what she needed to do next, "Alright, I'm going to go find Ron. Wade, after you catch up, take her to Dr. D."

Today was just full of surprises, "What?"

Kim interjected, "It's okay, I need to see him." She craned her neck a little assuring him it was important.

Wade's shock lingered but he did what was asked. "Um alright, he should be in the lab." He was unsure if he was making the right judgement.

"One more thing Wade, here," Shego handed over the book bag with Kim's suit. "Be careful with her heart."

He took a look inside, "Should be easier to configure with Kim here but no rush."

"Good." She nodded with a head bob and went off.

~oO0Oo~

Shego found her way to Ron. He was training new recruits monkey-style Kung Fu. The small handful of recruits, or rather, henches that devoted themselves to allying with Shego, were unfortunately sluggish but fortunately determined. Having sustained injuries from Kim in the past, they couldn't move perfectly as well as they used to.

He instructed one, "Yeah! Just give it a little more BOO-YAH!" He caught eye of Shego waiting at the door, knowing well she wanted to talk to him. He ignored her. Instead, he continued his crash course and forced Shego to wait almost an hour before dismissing his students.

He grabbed a water bottle and took a big swig from it. As he neared her, he eyed her with disgust, "What is it? Am I not cleaning your laundry right? Trash not taken out at the right time?" Ron's passive aggressiveness and attitude would normally irritate her but at this point it had been mildly amusing due to one detail.

"Kim's here."

Fortunately he swallowed before he could spray the fluid that was in his mouth, "Why didn't you tell me!?" He was making his way to the door but Shego would not let him leave by leaning against the door frame.

"Nuh uh!" she pointed at him, "If you hadn't ignored me, you would have known. If you checked the message board, you would have known sooner than that. But you aren't seeing her yet."

Ron furrowed his brows, "Why not?" He promised to give Shego a chance but she was showing him signs of resistance. Why would she prevent him from seeing Kim if she was good?

Flatly, "You and I need to talk."

"About _what?_ " he said angrily.

"Me, Kim, and ultimately you."

To him, it had to be bullshit. Shego had to be messing with him, "Fine. Talk, anything to get you to shut up so I can meet up with Kim." He thought it had to be more of Shego's lies. Shego was just a conniving, heartless snake.

Now she was irritated, "You know what? Fuck it. I had a whole conversation planned. I don't have time for your childish fuckery. You aren't going to grow up. I really don't know how Kim tolerated you for so long. Now listen up, because I'm only going to say it once. The only reason you're allowed to do _ANYTHING_ is because of Kim. No one can find a proper use for you. You can't plan, you can't engineer shit, I'm honestly surprised you graduated high school. You don't even realize how fucking serious the situation we're in is. KIM IS GETTING HEADHUNTED YOU SELFISH PRICK!"

After all he'd done for Kim over the years, he thought, after all the support, "I WOULD DO MORE IF YOU TOLD ME WHAT WAS GOING ON!"

Shego equalled his anger and poured more of her fuel to the flames, "You cannot be _THAT_ stupid. LOOK AROUND YOU! You're in a secret lair, _WAAADE_ is helping me, even Dr. D. is on board, that alone should tell you the seriousness of the situation. _And you_ are barely helping prepare people how to fight, if AT ALL! YOU THINK I'M KEEPING YOU PRISONER!? THEN LEAVE!"

He balled his hands into fists, "I would if you just GOT OUT OF THE WAY!" He tried to squeeze past Shego but she pushed him back hard.

Almost there, "You aren't leaving here until you realize what a selfish, ignorant _baby_ you are!"

Ron, tired of being pushed around, grit his teeth, spun, and planted his heel right into Shego's side, knocking her away. As he went toward the door a blast of green energy exploded at the door frame.

"Oh no no no, you are not leaving here that easily," Shego got up slowly, "Where were you all those times when Kim was badly hurt, when _I_ hurt her, huh? Now you've got the balls to fight me? Go ahead, let's see what you can do!" And there it was. The line that was in front of her just a moment ago, now behind.

In a fit of rage, Ron charged at her and a light blue glow surrounded him.

~oO0Oo~

"So…," Wade started. The biggest problem with evil lairs was that they were so large with long, bland corridors, there usually wasn't enough small talk to last the whole way. Wade was already aware of how Kim 'was' and there really wasn't much else to talk about since he was already in the loop about everything else. His mouth was left open for a bit until he just awkwardly closed it again.

Kim gave it a shot, "Shego said she took you to therapy yesterday, um, how was it?"

"Oh," relieved with something he could talk about, "Uh… good. I guess. I wasn't sure what I could tell her… what I'm supposed to tell her." He thought a moment and suddenly felt he didn't have too much to say anymore.

Kim gave a comforting smile, knowing well why he stopped, "The first time was hard for me too. You don't really know what to say or know what you're supposed to get out of it. You don't want to say something that'll make her mis-diagnose you. You don't think you're a victim even though you're hurting."

Wade looked a little in disbelief, "Kim, I can't call myself a victim."

"Are you hurting?" He didn't answer but Kim knew the truth. "You're a victim. That was a big realization for me." She paused a moment, hoping to let those words sink in. "I'm on medication now. I don't know if that'll interfere with the suit, my classes, this war…, everything. I just want the hurting to stop."

Softly, "Yeah, me too." He continued, "And it shouldn't. I mean the suit. Shego let me know what was happening. Once we get back to my desk I'll run diagnostics and see what's up. Sorry the walk is so long. I asked Shego for a motor cart or _anything_ but she said it's a tactical advantage not to have one. 'Slows the enemy down.'"

She shrugged casually, "It's okay. I could use a walk. How much farther?"

"Ohhh, I don't know, at this pace… maybe four more minutes."

Taken aback, "Really? Wow…, okay." Kim quickened her pace slowly, hoping Wade wouldn't notice.

Wade snorted, "I know what you're doing, Kim. If you want, we can jog back. I've been exercising."

She shared her enthusiasm, "I know! You look great! I wasn't sure if I should have said anything or…," she quickly snapped her head to his, realizing that the topic may be sensitive, "BECAUSE IT DIDN'T MATTER TO ME! I just thought you know-"

Like water to a duck, the comments simply rolled off of him. He knew Kim meant nothing but compliments, "It's fine, come on!" Wade started jogging ahead with Kim quickly getting beside him.

~oO0Oo~

Wade was panting hard, "Give me one sec to plug this in." He walked around to his desk and took the suit out of the book bag. He fiddled with some cables and connected them to the wrist cuffs of the suit and helmet. Behind him was a large server-room. Kim was eyeing the rows of servers acting as the lair's supercomputer. Wade smiled at her noticing her attention to what he considered his pride and joy, "Took us almost a month to put it together. It would've taken longer if weren't for Shego's and Drakken's help. I think he wants to be called Drew now, by the way, I'm never sure with that guy. Anyway, the room initially had a problem with excess heat and the air conditioners just weren't enough. But I saw the weather machine out there and took some parts. I rigged it to blow freezing temperatures through a recycled water-cooling process aaand I'm rambling aren't I?"

Kim gave a gentle laugh, "Not at all. I missed this." They continued to chat a bit about the teams and how Wade and everyone at the lair have been doing. Wade spoke of tiring nights setting up automation processes and AI monitors but tried to keep that type of information to a minimum. He assured Kim he was alright and was more than happy to work towards something good. One topic that didn't come up was Shego and Kim thought to ask, "How has Shego been running things here? Crack a whip?"

He smiled, "To much of my surprise, Shego is a born leader, which makes me wonder about her whole sidekick biz with Drew. I used to think she was lazy but she's organized, efficient, and I can hold an engaging conversation with her."

Kim looked at him with mock accusation, "Are you thinking about my girlfriend in ways you shouldn't be thinking about her, Wade?"

He blushed, "NO! I'm not! I swear!"

She laughed, "I'm just teasing."

"Hmm, right, heh." His discomfort was noticed and Kim was about to apologize until an audible beep was heard by both of them. He quickly dismissed the joke and found it more engaging to share his enthusiasm for the supercomputer he built with Shego and Dr. Drakken, "I love this system," he remarked, "On my home one, this would have taken a few days, maybe even a couple weeks." He paused a moment to eye the data, "Alright, let's see…" His eyes skimmed much of it quickly but wasn't seeing anything wrong right away. "I'm gonna have to give this more than just a once over. Are you serious about seeing Drakken? I mean… are you sure?"

"I am. I made a huge mistake." Kim didn't continue. The mistake was more than just excessive force. It's what got her where she is now. A metaphorical Rube Goldberg machine leading to a war she never intended to happen. She just wanted to impress GJ.

~oO0Oo~

Wade led her down another corridor that looked much like the others. Luckily the walk was not as long. They approached the door to the lab and Wade stopped Kim before entering, "He doesn't talk much, not since discovering…," he stopped himself, "I can go in with you."

"Thanks Wade, but I can do it."

"Alright, I'll be right at my desk if you need me. I think he's in section 'G' today. Try that, otherwise, he likes to spend a lot of his time in 'K'."

Kim thought it was odd that Wade had to mention a particular section. "O...kay."

~oO0Oo~

"Doctor… Drakken?" Kim called out in the large laboratory. It wasn't just large, it was huge. It could fit the equivalence of a grand Smarty Mart. It was split into various sections and labeled alphabetically. Kim continued walking down the the hall, on her left, a section labeled 'A', on her right, 'B'. It continued, 'C' on her left, and 'D' on her right' and so on and so forth. Each section containing some unique but themed purpose. 'A' was for defensive equipment, 'B' was for chemical composition to be used in either weaponry, defense, or perhaps transportation. Each section had its own handling equipment. They were labs within a lab. Kim called out again when she reached 'E' - Dummy testing. "Doctor Drakken?"

"Kim POSSIBLE!," he jumped and shrieked, "Erm, sorry, force of habit." Kim had almost gotten into a defensive stance but forced herself to relax. "It's been a while. I didn't expect to see you. What can I do for you?" Drakken's politeness was eery to Kim and made her somewhat uneasy as she had to force herself to let her guard down.

Kim took a nervous breath. _Just rip off the bandaid,_ "I'm sorry," she paused, "I'm sorry for hurting you. I made a huge mistake and if there's anything I can-"

He raised a calm hand, his other arm crooked behind his back, and he stood straight, "Stahp! Miss Possible, your apologies are not necessary," his voice de-escalated by the end of the sentence giving a tone that suggested boredom. "I'll admit…," he noted, "you _really_ hurt me. I was furious. That is, when I woke up, that's when, that's when I was furious. No, that's not right. I was heavily medicated, when I remembered, yes, when I remembered what happened, I was furious. I wanted nothing more than to exact my _revenge_!" He continued to vary his tones ranging between aggravation and calmed disposition, "And you made it so clear not to bother you and… my dear Shego, as I later figured out, you two were in cahoots!"

Kim crane her neck towards him, "I wouldn't say we were 'in cahoots'."

"Well you know what I mean."

She kept her eyes on him and turned the other way, "She told you."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeeeeesss," he did not like to admit it. "Point _is_ , I was about to have a melt down I was so angry. No wonder my plans kept failing, because of you _and_ her, no doubt. Oooo how I wanted get back at you." Kim considered correcting his assumptions but given she was there to apologize, she opt to let it slide. "Did you know she called me _crazy_! Of all people, cahoots with the enemy!" Kim opened her mouth to speak with a slow raising finger, but Drakken cut her off. "WHAT-EVER! I was steaming, hopping, hoo-ha mad! Then she asked me to help you in some way. Are you _kidding me!_? I thought I had to have been dreaming, too much pain medication, surely, and-or I was hallucinating. I couldn't be sure." Drakken looked legitimately unsure but kept going, "So I sat down," he did so literally as he continued, "And then she groveled to me, Kimberly. I've never seen her ask for anything before. Demand, sure, all the time. But ask? No, never, not my Shego." Kim tried to listen intently and let him continue his ramblings, he was sure to reach the end of it soon. "She proposed we try to take out Global Justice, but why," he quickly stood up again, "when you can take over the entire world! - you know, two birds, one stone, and all that. I wouldn't have it. I assumed I was delirious. My brain shook a little too hard by a certain _he-ro_ ," he glared with intent to blame, "Then that's when she said, 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry and I need your help.' I thought to myself, 'Ah finally, at least someone is sorry.' She then threw a file on my lap and I went through it." Kim closed her eyes and tried to shut the imagery out. "I didn't understand. I don't understand, even now. I'm baffled that such things happen. Shego said it again, 'I'm sorry.' And there you were, right is the middle of it. I may be bad, Kimberly, but I'm not… _this_. This far exceeds anything I could ever plan for you. I was actually ashamed of myself to think I should plan any revenge." He shook his head in disappointment at himself. "And so, you don't need to apologize. We are enemies after all, it comes with the job, I suppose." He finally stopped.

It took a moment but his words finally caught up with her, "Oh," she said softly and disappointingly, "are we still enemies?"

Drakken was a little baffled, "Aren't we?"

"But I thought… with you helping us, I thought, I mean, why would you?"

He raised a brow, "Be helping?" She nodded. "The world is sick and awful and gross. Who would want to conquer a plagued kingdom? But, if you get rid of the sick, then the kingdom is worth something again." He seemed to be grinning with this logic.

"I don't understand, you're helping me just so you can try to conquer the world again? Why do you even need to? Why can't you just keep doing what you're doing now and help people?"

"Help _who_? More monsters? The lazy? The corrupt? There are a gobs, GOBS, of people who don't deserve the benefits from the extremely difficult work that's put into doing something extraordinary. Why should I help them?" He folded his arms, almost moping like a child.

Kim struggled to maintain her temper. She worked hard to volunteer, give back, raise money to helpful fundraisers, fight crime, and Drakken chose a chaotic path in his life because he didn't want to benefit 'bad' people. "I came here to apologize to you for my extreme approach. And I _do_ sincerely apologize for the actions I took. If you want to help me rid the sick and the vile, I am all for it, one hundred percent, and more if I could. But _you_ have endangered lives countless times. Don't tell me that, even in _your_ head, you can't admit there were people who didn't deserve your wrath! Don't tell me _YOU_ are trying to cleanse the world! Don't you _DARE_ tell me people don't deserve benefits from others. I've been in the thick of it. I KNOW people who have their rights stripped away, options removed, and voices muted! I help them because I KNOW they give back. One thing you need to understand, _DRAKKEN_ , in a society, you work as a TEAM!" Kim glared at him for a moment and then stomped off. She almost regretted her actions. It was clear Drakken wasn't exactly the most stable, he could purposefully put her in harm's way with whatever he's developing. She was just about to apologize when he attempted to say his case.

Drakken stammered, "I-I- Now you just- WAIT JUST A MINUTE!" Kim stopped but she didn't turn to face him. He started walking towards her, "In _my_ world, there wouldn't BE a need for rights, voices, or- or- _options_. Everyone gets a chip, a simple chip. Everyone obeys, everyone listens, everyone is equal - ALL THE SAME! I remove hate, bigotry, hunger, poverty!"

Kim was washed over with anger and fumed, "LOVE! FEELING! FREE WILL! MOVING FORWARD! LIFE! HOW CAN YOU STAND THERE AND TELL ME AND THINK THAT'S BETTER!? You can make lives better without forcing everyone to be a damn robot!"

He was flustered, "STOP YELLING AT ME! I don't deal well in a hostile work environment. Things tend to… blow up. I get nervous!"

Kim grit her teeth and forced herself to calm, "Why are you helping me, Dr. Drakken?"

"The world-" He frowned when he was cut off.

"No, I don't believe you. Don't lie to me."

"I wasn't lying, but it isn't the only reason. It's… Shego."

Kim tightened her lips, "Is she forcing you?" Even if it was Drakken, she still didn't want Shego forcing anyone to do her bidding, so to speak.

"Preposterous! I...erm…," quietly, "love Shego. She's the only one that's cared." His voice grew stronger, "She asked for help, I'm helping."

Kim was not prepared for that confession, "You… love her?"

"NOT LIKE YOU! She's my friend! I'm not a… pedaphile!"

Extremely defensive, "I wasn't thinking that! If you're both consenting _adults_ even you happen to be like… twenty something years apart and-," she shook her head to keep herself from deviating to another tangent, "My point is, I didn't think you were, I was just shocked." She watched Drakken's eyes roll casually and decided to move on, "Are you still planning to take over the world? Do you hate me? Are we really enemies? I'm more than just a little confused here."

"What do you want us to be?"

Kim's head was beginning to hurt, her struggle with how the heated argument just fizzled like nothing happened, it baffled her. She blinked in confusion, "It would be beneficial for the both of us, I think, if we became friends." She looked at him with a firmness and certainty that she hoped would convince him.

Drakken smiled brightly and clasped his hands, "Then we're friends!"

"But I thought-"

"Did you change your mind?"

Kim needed to end it right here, "No no, we're friends!"

"Good then. Well, I have much work to do. Perhaps we can talk at another time?"

"Oh, definitely, sure, absolutely…"

"Until then…ta." He dismissed immediately and turned away. He began making his back to his workstation in 'E' with his hands cupped behind his back.

"T-ta…" Kim was left very confused and uncertain where they left off. She slowly made her way to the door reviewing the conversation that just took place. She stood utterly baffled before pushing the door opened and wondered if Shego experienced this type of behavior on a daily basis. She placed her hand on the door, gave it a push, and headed towards Wade.

~oO0Oo~

"So, how'd it go?" Wade asked upon Kim's entrance.

Kim held her confused expression and waited until she got closer to him before speaking, "I _think_ we're friends. Maybe? He was going on and on about revenge, world domination, and we got into this argument, but now we're okay… I think," she waved a hand at each event as she spoke. "How have you talked to him?"

"Oh, uh, wow. On and on? Really?" He scratched the back of his head, "Like I said, the guy doesn't really talk to me or Shego and I don't think he's seen Ron that much. The most I've gotten out of him was a couple quick run throughs on some designs but I've never held a conversation with the guy, let alone an argument." He shrugged.

"Maybe Shego can answer. Think you could point me in the right direction?" She gave a smile and waited for the expected 'yes'.

"I'll take you."

"Please and thank you."

~oO0Oo~

Wade and Kim headed towards the door, "They should be in there, I'm gonna head back. Take care Kim."

"Thanks again!" Kim approached and pushed the thick door open. The sight before her first startled her and then broke her heart, "Ron?" She found Ron on top of Shego with a raised fist. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

Hearing her voice snapped him out of his rage, "I-I, K-Kim? She-" His blue glow fizzled away.

She shrieked with fury, "GET AWAY FROM HER!" Kim quickly rushed in and shoved Ron away with a force she's never used on him before. An anger never seen between the two, realized only now.

Shego laid there, limp and only managed to groan out, "Hey Pumpkin." She tried to smile with her face swollen and bruised.

Tears began to well in Kim's eyes but she maintained, "Are you okay?"

Shego took a very slow breath, "I'll heal, I'm fine," she whispered out, "Really, he just," another show breath, "he needed to let it all out." Shego huffed a short and pained laugh.

She looked at her more sternly, "Are you really okay?"

"He's not you, he's not even close. I just need a minute." Her voice was hoarse and definitely sounded injured.

Kim became angry, "I knew you'd do something! Why did you provoke him!? Asshole!" She got up and stormed towards Ron who was making his way out of the room shamefully. "HEY! Where do you think you're going!? You said you would give her a chance!" The fury in her voice was far worse than when she spoke to Shego.

Ron, regretted everything he did and wanted to take it all back, but, as if by reflex, tried to think of an excuse, "She-"

"What!? What did _she_ do!? Look at her!" she pointed, "Did she hit back? Did she attack you?" Rage caused her heart to drum in her ears.

"She threw her glow at me!" he defended the best he could.

Kim forcefully grabbed, prodded, and lifted his arms. She searched around his body. Nothing. "Where!?" Shego may have been the one with the glow but Kim had the fire in her eyes.

"Right there," he pointed sternly at the doorframe, "she wouldn't let me see you! She almost hit me!"

Kim looked at the door briefly and her blood boiled, "SHEGO DOESN'T MISS!" Before Kim realized what she did next, it was too late. A loud clack echoed the room and Ron's face turned to the side with a darkening hand print across his face. Her eyes watered at what she'd done. She stared at her hand in awe for a moment, looked to her long time friend in disbelief, then to Shego on the ground. Her lip quivered against her resistance to cry and she ran off. She raced down the halls and managed to bypass Wade, looking for any unlocked door to run behind. She opened one, slammed the heavy door, and locked it. Wade had followed her to make sure she was okay, which of course, she clearly wasn't.

~oO0Oo~

Shego was still lying on the floor struggling to maintain steady breathing. Ron just watched Kim leave with a hand to his face.

"Ron," Shego heaved a groan, "get over here."

"W-what?" Ron was slowly snapping out of his daze. Guilt hit him and began to drag him down. His gaze eventually drifted to Shego and he couldn't believe the damage done to her.

"Get over here…," she struggled, "I need you- I need you to set a rib."

"What?" He was sure she wanted her dead but now he only saw himself as the monster he hated so much.

"Just get over here, hu-aarrggh!" It hurt to breathe, let alone talk. Ron walked over. "The rib here, I think; one of them," she pointed with a trembling hand, "I need you to hold it."

"What?" What Shego was asking him to do made no sense to him.

"Stop asking W-Arrgh!" Every word louder than a whisper was excruciating. She took the needed moment to recover, "You broke a rib, I need you to hold it together so it can-" a sharp breath, "-heal. I don't think it separated, I-I don't know. You have to take a look."

"I don't understand, I could get a med-"

"Just fucking do it."

He cautiously raised her shirt to look and placed his hands on the disfigured rib, feeling if it had separated. Luckily it had not, but it had been cracked severely as it divotted inwards. For anyone else, it would have healed on its own if there was proper care, but Shego's powers complicated things. Her bones were harder and if they healed the wrong way, it would could become thorny and sharp. It would then, painfully, fix itself by rounding off the edges and force the splintered bone out of her. Her glow seemed to maintain her body in perfect condition. But it was up to Ron to make sure her bones healed properly to avoid the unwanted experience. He needed to hold it in place, "Um fast? Slow?"

"Just- just do it and hold it." Shego tried to mentally prepare herself for what was coming. She tightened her fists and waited for the inevitable.

Ron swallowed hard. It wasn't just a difficult task, Shego was extraordinarily muscular. What he needed to do to lift the rib without puncturing her was in need of excessive force. He had only been lucky it was her bottom bone that broke. He told himself not to look into her eyes but compulsion got the better of him and began manipulating the rib through her skin. Shego could only scream silently. Tears fell in streams and her muscles fought against his fingers. He grimaced at the sight of her and his guilt grew exponentially. Once he felt the rib in place, "How long do I- h-how long do-" He regret everything.

Shego took quick, shallow breaths and wished she could have passed out from the pain. She tried her best to relax her muscles and endure it so he could hold the rib without resistance. "Until," a shallow breath, "I tell you," another, "to stop." She let out painful sobbing moan. Eight minutes passed and her breath calmed.

"Are you-" his fingers ached but he focused on her. He was forcing himself to own his mistake.

"Not yet." She was able talk more now, so long as it was soft. She decided to take this opportunity to talk to him because now he had no choice but to listen. With cautious and gentle breath, "I didn't know she almost died. I was clumsy and I didn't know. I never wanted to kill anyone, not even in my worst of times."

Ron shook his head, "How could you have not known? You were the one attacking her."

Shego felt his fingers tremble slightly. Again she forced herself to relax. "I wasn't attacking, I was countering. My nails went through her pants. They hid the blood. I would have stopped. But she kept going and going. Even then, I would have stopped. I would hav-ugh" She paused and grimaced at the growing pain the more she spoke. As it settled she tried talking again, "I thought she was okay when I left. I didn't even know until you told me. I couldn't even remember the fight. I made Kim tell it to me."

"Well, what about all those times you pushed her off a cliff, a ship, into a pit-" Ron spoke under his breath, "Kim falls a lot."

She hesitated with her response and allowed more of the pain, now dull, to subside. Another slow breath, "Grappling hook, rocket shoes, some other gadget, and even you were there to save her. I knew."

"That is such bullshit."

Her watered eyes stared at the ceiling, "I swear it's not, I knew. I did. I got softer too, making sure Kim was safe so we could meet again. Didn't you notice Kim pushed our fights somewhere else?" She had to stop as she felt a bit of her rib start to fuse. She continued when she thought she could, "Hell, we-we even got far enough away one time and shared an ice cream one summer. Ugh! Don't let go!? Argh!"

Ron unconsciously receded from her abdomen. When he was scolded, he resumed, "I was fighting Drakken!" he glared, "He could have killed me!"

She rocked her head against the floor, shaking her head 'no' slowly, "He's a little crazy but a killer he is not. I'm serious, don't fuck with the rib."

"How can I believe all this? I had lasers shot at me!"

"You saw how slow they were. It was like a four second charge time for like _all_ of his lasers. Even if they hit you, they wouldn't have done much." Talking was suddenly getting easier despite Ron's slip of his hand. "At least nothing close to what I…, what I did to Kim." She accepted what she did was terrible. "Kim could vouch for me but she's afraid of hurting you all over again. She didn't tell me in those words but the message was clear. You're break-up was awwwkward."

Ron furrowed his brows. He was angry and hurt. It was a private matter and Shego had no business knowing that. "You have no idea how confused I was. I'm still confused. It hurt! We watched a movie that _she_ picked out. She went home happy. And then… then she said she couldn't continue stringing me along. That she had to figure herself out. That she was sorry. I watched the movie over and over, wondering what it was… to make her think that I wasn't worth… Why am I telling you this? Go ahead, laugh. You won anyway." Ron looked away, embarrassed.

A subtle shake of her head. "I'm not laughing, I didn't _win_. She's not a trophy. Kim made me better. She makes everything better but I keep fucking up. Ron, whether you believe this or not, I'm sorry."

"Yeah well, you aren't the only one." He sighed to himself and was ashamed.

"You really did piss me off, though. I was going to explain how I changed. Not like you were going to listen to a word. So, I vented. I provoked you. I hope you got it all out of your system because you'll never get that opportunity again."

He tightened a corner of his mouth and began seeing the Shego he was used to. "I got it Shego. But know that this is a lot to take in. This is hard for me. Look at it from my perspective. I wake up one morning, Kim tells me you're her girlfriend, but you know, 'don't freak out' with that bombshell. Just before that, I believed you were still evil, and now, I don't know! A couple months ago, Wade tells me to meet at his place to talk to you about something we can't talk about with _me_ …, are you not seeing how confusing this is? You were evil one day and the literal next you're just hero-ing again."

"I'm NOT hero-ing." She subdued a grunt.

"Whatever!"

"Was I really that evil?"

"Uh, you _tried_ to TAKE OVER _THE WORLD!_ "

She rolled her eyes, "First off, that's Dr. D. Second, do you think, even without your involvement, he'd succeed? Let's say he did, SOMEHOW, succeed. Do you think he'd be able to govern _the world_?"

"WHAT'S THE POINT THEN!?"

Shego shrugged to the best of her abilities, "He's crazy and I like money." Ron's eye began to twitch. "It's called greed, _Ron_ , the worst I ever did with Drakken was ruin some people's day. Nothing, _nothing_ compares to what we're up against. Sick and wrong are just words to what this is."

With a sense of disgust and disbelief, "When are you going to tell me? I _can_ help."

She was stoic, "That depends on Kim. Her decision, her will, and if she's mentally up for it. She's having a hard time. No matter how in the dark you are, you need to understand that."

Nearly a half hour had passed before Shego gave the okay to release pressure slowly. Her face was bruised but her swelling had reduced significantly. Ron scratched at his head vigorously, "This is so frustrating! And what, you're rib is fine now? Doesn't it take like a couple months to heal." He kept flexing the fingers he used to hold Shego's rib, glad to be free.

"For me, it's about a day. It's good enough for me to move around now. I'll wrap myself up after we apologize."

"What? Just like that? Like nothing happened?"

"No. We apologize _like_ something happened. Because it _did_. How's your face? "

He rubbed his cheek again, "It still stings."

A smirk, "I'm surprised you were still standing. Thick head I guess," she snorted a laugh. She extended a hand to get him to help her up. She was still not in any condition to move without assistance.

"Shut up." He grabbed her arm and wrapped his around her back to help her up. She winced and groaned but it was far more bearable than before.

She motioned for the door, "Come on, we need to find Kim."

~oO0Oo~

"Leave me alone Wade, I can't deal right now." A pitiful squeak escaped through the door.

Wade didn't feel comfortable with Kim being by herself. He was unsure if she had another episode or why Shego wasn't right behind her. "I'm not going to leave until you're okay." And, while respecting her privacy, would hack the digital lock or get Shego to burn through it if she needed help.

"Well it's going to be a long wait." She slid down with her back against the door. She held her knees together, _My life is a fucking disaster._ She dug her nails into her pants and softly cried.

Wade didn't hear her through the door but he knew. After letting some time pass, he coaxed her to talk to him. He made an attempt to assure her things would be alright, "You know…," however words didn't come easily, "okay, I don't know what happened but Kim, it'll work out."

Kim took a deep, quiet breath, "How can you _possibly_ guarantee that?" the door was unable to hide her brittle voice, "I just caught Ron beating up Shego! And I blamed _her_ for it. I don't even know what happened!" This caught Wade off-guard and kept him speechless. "You know, I get it, she's 'the villain' and 'evil', but she's NOT. Just look what she's doing _just for me!_ How is that not enough! Why can't he see that?"

"It doesn't look like that to him, Kim." He cautiously defended Ron. "We're in Drakken's, err Dr. Lips-, err did I say Drew earlier? It doesn't matter, we're in his lair. Ron wasn't allowed to contact you. He was told one thing but he believed that I was turning evil to work for Shego, or that I was mind controlled. We told him the bare minimum." He was doing his best to paint the scenario for her. "Shego gave him grunt work so he'd stay out of the loop but he thinks it was slave work. As much as I tried to assure him, his mind held onto a conspiracy theory. And with that, combined with our history…, I guess we should have been better prepared."

Kim kept her head buried in her hands, "And the working out comes when?"

"You're here now. You can explain it to him. You don't have to tell him everything but enough for him to understand."

"I tried! I told him about Shego and I! And… and I hit him." Tears fell harder, "He probably hates me."

Wade was taken aback, again. Despite being surprised by Kim's actions, he continued, "I highly doubt that Kim. I don't think the man is capable. I bet, and this is extreme, if you could take away his ability to eat a nacco, he'd still love you. Maybe a little conflicted, but he'd love you."

Kim huffed a tearful laugh, "Stop it, Wade."

"I mean it, if you told him, you know," he mocked, "'from this day forth, you will only eat celery sticks and kale for every thought you have of a nacco', he'd do it. He'd cry, but he'd do it." Wade felt a little funny. He missed this. He wished it was a better time but he enjoyed joking with Kim.

Another laugh followed by a sigh, "Is it so much to ask for both of them to be at peace? I'm not asking for them to like each other but can't they be in the same room without being at each other's throats?"

Wade caught eye of Ron and Shego walking towards him. Shego had a hand on her rib and Ron was supporting her. Another shock came over Wade to see Shego so injured.

"Um, that might be more plausible than you think Kim, they're here, together."

Utterly in disbelief, "What?" She also just realized she left the two of them alone with only each other. A quick wave of worry washed over her for doing something so stupid. She left them alone right after seeing the fight. She was just so confident Shego would be able to take care of herself.

Shego spoke, "That's right Kimmie, we made up."

Ron spoke his apology, "Yeah, KP, I was a stupid. I'm a buffoon. I'm so sorry, Kim."

Then Shego, "I'm a thundercunt, Princess. You were right and I shouldn't have been a total ass towards him. Can you come out?"

Kim was sure Shego provoked him, "A _cock-juggling_ thundercunt."

 _Unbelievable_. Shego looked straight up and shook her head, "I'm a _cock-juggling_ thundercunt."

Ron looked at Shego, "Uh, wow, heh."

A moment passed and the sound of the door unlocking was heard. Another beat and it slowly opened, "You guys are really okay?"

Ron started, "KP, truthfully, I can't understand how you and Shego got together or how you _could_ get together. There's a lot I just can't _accept_ right now. I can't just shrug off the past. But I did something really bad. Really awful. I hurt someone who you really care about. I never thought I could make a mistake like that and I did. I never want to hurt you." He turned to Shego, "I turned into something I believed I'm not and it made me realize you may not be the villain I was so convinced you were. This is a sudden change for me and it's just difficult for me to believe given our history. But that doesn't mean our future will be the same."

Shego took a step and looked at Kim, "I'm sorry I fucked up. I'll be nicer." Kim tightened a corner of her mouth and disapproved of the rather to-the-point apology. "What? I mean it."

Kim huffed, "Fine," Kim opened her arms to hug her but was stopped.

"Rain check on that hug, Kimmie. Monkey-boy here may have done a little more damage than I let on. Umm, few more hours and I can be your squeeze toy," she attempted to smile innocently but realized this wasn't the time and quickly hid it.

Kim pursed her lips, pointed at her, and spoke quietly, "If this has anything to do with you getting punished-"

Equally as quiet, "It's not. I swear. I'm acknowledging the past and I'm forgiving myself." She looked Kim dead in the eyes letting her search for sincerity.

Ron and Wade looked at them with shock. Wade understood Shego was a very different person from when she was formally, and now formerly, a villain, but he never saw the depth of guilt. It was clear to both of them that Kim and Shego were working on issues from their past life.

Kim was satisfied enough, "Alright," she turned to Ron and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then gripped it tightly bringing him into a painful hug.

"Ow, ow, oWww, KP!"

She spoke in an angered whisper, "I'm sorry I slapped you but don't _ever_ hurt her again. I care deeply for you too and I don't want to lose you." Her arms loosened a little around him and her hug became filled with more warmth and love.

He returned the hug, "I'm sorry." Deep sincerity were behind his words.

She released him, "Come here, Wade." Another warm hug, "Thanks for staying with me. I really appreciate it."

A nervous chuckle arose as he was not used to physical contact, "Heh, n-no problem, Kim."

Kim took a breath and turned to Shego, "Do you have an office or something here? I need to talk to you." She then turned to Ron before Shego could answer, "But Ron, be around, we need to talk with you later, too."

Ron nodded, "Sure. I'll just be, uhh, around."

"Come with me, my room is not too far," Shego instructed Kim but look to Wade, "Wade, did you manage to run any tests on Kim's suit?"

"I did, I just need to look at the data. I'll get back to you."

"That's fine. Ron, I want you to meet me in my office in an hour. We'll meet up then."

"Right. See you… then."

Kim, now supporting Shego, parted from Ron and Wade.

~oO0Oo~

Wade and Ron happened to be going in the same direction. Wade kept passing off sideways glances. Ron definitely noticed, "Just lay it on me, Wade."

Wade wasn't going to say anything. He argued to himself that Ron learned a lesson from this, that this was between him, Shego, and Kim, and that it didn't affect him directly. But the truth was, it did affect him. Shego is absolutely key in the war they're starting. Without her, there's no operation. Wade had invested too much and certainly _knows_ too much to stop. Ron nearly jeopardized that. Wade conceded to this and spoke, "You really couldn't trust _me OR Kim_?"

"I'M SORRY! IT'S NOT… it wasn't like that- it's my fault. I messed up big! I know that."

"Ron, I know it's been hard. A lot of things have changed for you, for all of us. I know we told you as a little as possible and makes this whole situation even harder to believe. But Ron, you really complicated things. Did she fight back? What happened?" Wade narrowed his eyes in a confused expression at him.

Ron was still defensive, "Alright look, I understand I messed up and everything that led up to… what happened was stupid. Here's what happened. I was training some of the new guys when she came in. I _thought_ she was just there to give me some dirty jobs again or complain I didn't do something right. I was passive aggressive and made her wait until I was finished training. When I was done she told me Kim was here. I wanted to see her immediately but she wouldn't let me. I thought she was just messing with me. I know she hates me, I know she thinks I'm useless, and come on, she's a _villain_." Wade facepalmed. "Well, that's what I thought, okay? I wasn't in the mood for any of that. She wanted to talk to me about something and I just continued to dismiss her, you know? Then, I guess, I got under her skin and she told me off. She told me how unimportant I am and it was just all I could take. I lashed out and kicked her away from the doorway and as I was about to leave, she threw her green fire stuff at me. I thought she wanted to fight and I just lost it. I went full monkey on her. I just… didn't want her to exist." He paused deciding whether or not to continue. He opted for full disclosure, "She was like a bug that kept moving after being stepped on and I wanted her to stop. It wasn't until Kim came in that I... that I realized what I did. Wade, I'd take it all back if I could."

Wade was still surprised the events that happened took place. Maybe just awe. He couldn't believe Shego would allow herself to be subject to a beating, let alone by Ron. He couldn't believe Ron had it in him to fight Shego without deadly provocation. And what would have happened if Shego fought back? Would Ron even be recognizable after a real fight with Shego? "Ron, I don't know what to say. I don't even know how Shego is able to be in the same room with you. How did you and her-"

"I held her rib together."

"You _what_?"

He stared at his hand appalled, "After Kim left, she told me to hold her rib. I broke it and it pivoted inward. I-I moved it and held it together. It was sick and wrong. And then it just healed. I could feel it beneath my fingers, like millipedes crawling. It was disgusting. But that's when she told me about Kim. How… that day… was an accident. We talked."

They talked and Wade was amazed he listened, "Do you believe her?"

"I know I should, but- it's just so hard. After everything we've been through. Why is it so easy for everyone else to trust her?"

He shook his head subtly, "Ron, I don't know what Shego and Kim are planning for you once you go into her office. No one has been in there except her. I've never seen the inside of it and I see everything. Only Kim and her have access. Out of respect, I'm not even attempting to crack it. Anyway, listen, maybe after hearing what they have to say, you might think very differently of Shego. She's the one running this whole operation."

~oO0Oo~

The doors behind Kim and Shego shut heavily. They were far more reinforced and her room was built like a tiny fortress. More of a bank vault than a bedroom despite having a bed, a small bathroom, and even a portable stove positioned near an outtake vent.

Kim pleaded weakly, "What the hell happened?" She sat Shego in a chair and faced her.

"Kimmie, I'm sorry. He just… it's my fault, he just gets under my skin and I just lashed out."

"Didn't I tell you he isn't weak!? That he can hurt you!? I was afraid of this _exact_ situation, Shego!"

"I know. I fucked up! He was training some new members of the team. He saw me waiting and continued his 'class' for almost an hour. When he finally got around to acknowledging me. It was instant attitude. I was ready to just take it, just eat his shit and bear it, but he acted like such a little…," Shego looked at her, worried she was venting too much.

"He acted like a child."

"Yeah, that. I told him you were here and he was just ready to plow through me before he would hear a single word of what I had to say. I was going to tell him a little bit about my past, tell him I'm not the monster he thinks I am. I was going to tell him about us and how I never meant to hurt you. It was only when he was setting my rib that I-"

Wide-eyed and angry, "He _broke_ your rib!?"

"Um… no?"

"What the hell, Shego!? None of this was supposed to happen!"

"I'm SORRY!"

"I KNOW! But you let him do it. WHY!?"

"It was for _him_ , I swear!"

"GREAT! How generous of you! You suddenly have a bleeding heart!"

"Would it have been better if I crippled _him_ instead!? I can at least heal, he can't."

An agitated Kim paced around the room, "You could have defended his attacks. You could have dodged. You could have tried to diffuse the situation. He could have REALLY hurt you. He _did_!"

"I would have stopped him if he went too far."

She threw her hands up, "Would you!? He _broke..._ your _rib_! I thought you were limping because you were just extremely sore everywhere. Do you even know what 'too far' _is_?"

"It won't happen again!" Shego was feeling a different kind of guilt she hadn't felt before. It grew more and more when she initially thought it wasn't as bad as Kim was making it sound. She was starting to feel like a naive child.

A few breaths to calm herself, "Shego, I don't know what you think is okay and what's 'crossing the line'. I saw you, with him on top of you, not moving. For a moment, I thought you weren't breathing. I don't care how strong you think you are, how much you think you can endure, whatever it is, I can't stand to see you like that _ever_ again!" Kim looked at her very seriously, "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Shego was washed over with a strong sense of fear and finally understood what she was trying to say. Her throat became dry and seemed to have lost her breath on her first attempt to speak, "I-" she caught her voice again, "I-I get it. I understand."

"Good." Kim took her hands, "Shego, I would never consider leaving you, but what you just felt is what you put me through except... what I saw was a whole… lot… worse. I was scared. Out of some miracle, I'm lucky enough to still have my best friend and my girlfriend. Because… I was pretty hard set on losing one of you and it wasn't going to be you." She paused to let that sink in. She was willing to lose her lifetime, best friend for her. "Now, can I _please_ just fucking hug you? I'll be careful."

She quickly pushed herself to a stand with arms quickly wrapping around Kim's shoulders. The action tore painfully through Shego's sids but she endured. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, me too. I'm sorry I just assumed you provoked him. I mean, I was right, wasn't I? But I didn't _really_ know at the time. I gotta go yell at him too, you know… You guys are killing me." She sighed, "I'm tired. I need to lie down."

"Okay." They both climbed into the queen sized fluff designed for rest. "W-why him and not me? You've known him since childhood, right?"

"Are you really questioning this?" Shego stayed silent. "You really want to know the reason?" Shego nodded subtly. "He hurt someone I love, you didn't. Get it?"

Shego sighed, touched, and muttered something.

"What's that?" Kim tried to decipher.

She lifted Kim's hair and placed her lips on her neck, "Uh yum oo, krimmy."

Kim shrieked, "Eeeeyaa! Tickles! What are you saying?"

Shego faced her closely, "I love you, Kimmie. You are the best of everything that's ever happened to me."

"Hmm, am I now?"

"Mmhm and I'm sorry I almost lost you."

"You didn't almost lose me. Do you know why?"

"Because my ass looks so good in these jeans?"

Kim huffed a laugh, "Because I love you, too."

"And?" She coxed.

Kim rolled her eyes with a laugh, "And because that ass looks so damn good in those jeans. Positively irresistible. So good it's banned in, how many countries was it?"

"Just eleven and technically I'm not banned, just wanted."

"Was that like a life goal or…"

"Shut up, Kimmie." Shego gave Kim a kiss to silence her. For the most part, it worked.

* * *

~~HEAVY SIGH~~

Honestly, I thought the previous chapter was written better. If I remember correctly, when I first wrote this chapter I was writing in a lot of dumb jokes which doesn't match the tone for this chapter. I fell into a lot of m old bad writing habits and it was a giant pain to fix. Quite frankly, between my work and daily life, this chapter was very stressful and I just want to be done with it and move on. I THINK the next chapter will be better. We'll get to see a bit of Wego and Ann Possible interaction but the next big scene will be Kim and Shego explaining the details of the war to come to Ron. If you see something completely stupid or completely out of the ordinary, please let me know.


	14. Chapter 14

Ann was browsing the large library of wines and spirits in one of the lower levels of Go Tower. The isles in the room was a collector's dream. The room itself wasn't very large but contained three isles of humidity and temperature controlled cabinets and one isle of free standing shelves of liquor. On the far end wall were actual rundlet casks. She was a little befuddled by the wide array of spirits available. She looked in the cabinets through the glass and saw were some very vintage wines she imagined cost thousands to have. _I just want a glass!_ She began to realize the room was not meant for keeping anything intended for a drink. Or at the very least, not for casual drinking. She was suddenly startled by one of the Wegos stepping into the room and jumped, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm beginning to realize I'm not supposed to be in here." Ann lingered on his eyes for a moment. The copper color catching the light in a way to reflect a more radiant red. It was peculiar and she wasn't sure how to feel.

Wego smiled apologetically, "Heh, I didn't mean to startle you. And our home is yours! You're supposed to be where you want to be." He came in and started perusing the collection.

Ann stopped staring as soon as he spoke and gave a nervous chuckle, "That's far too generous. Really."

A brief shake of his head with a smirk, "Relax. We don't hero that much anymore and this place is big enough for like…," his eyes drifted to the ceiling for a moment, "a hundred families. I don't think I've even been in all the rooms. You want a glass?"

Ann nervously chuckled, "Was hoping to find something simple. I didn't intend to drink your vintage collection here."

He shrugged, "What are you in the mood for? Something fruity? Sour? Something more Earthly?"

"Something that'll take the edge off." Another nervous smile crossed her lips.

"I've got just the one." Wego opened one of the cabinets and picked up a wine bottle, seemingly at random. He looked at it and shrugged with his brows, "I'm sure this will do something." He waggled the bottle in his hand.

"But that's-"

"It's only…," he looked at the label, "a hundred and fifty years old. It's fine."

Astounded, "Are you sure-," _He can't be serious._

"Come on, it's not gonna drink itself," he joked to assure her the wine was made for a reason. He pointed with his head towards the door to coax her to follow, "I know the perfect spot for this."

"O-okay." She followed him to the elevators outside the room. Once they got in, Ann remained silent while Wego quietly made his own elevator music and subtly danced to it. It earned him a small chortle. Once they arrived on the floor he intended, he took her to a lounge area. He picked up two glasses and set them down on a lacquered oak table. They sat on matching leather chairs that overlooked a view of the city through the large window. Ann watched him pour the bottle into the glasses and suddenly realized Wego was not much older than her own sons, "Um, aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

He smirked and looked at her, "Isn't it a bit early to be drinking?" He watched her blush a little, embarrassed. "I'm kidding, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. You'll notice my family are rather heavy drinkers. We have a much higher tolerance thanks to our glow." He swirled the glass a little and gently breathed in the scent, "You wanna talk about that edge of yours?"

"Ohhh, no, n-not really. But thanks. Just the wine." An uneasy smile crossed her face again.

"Hey, no problem. No pressure," he politely handed Ann her glass. "I'm a little on edge too." He paused a moment, realizing that wasn't all that comforting, "I'm sure that didn't make you feel any better, I just felt like mentioning it… fooor no apparent reason at all."

Ann sniggered and took a sip from her glass, "You want to talk about it?"

"I wouldn't burden you with my petty issues."

"I'm sure they aren't petty. Try me."

He took his glass and sat in a chair facing Ann across a small lounge table between them. "I'm just worried about Shego, is all. Well, I guess I'm not now. I don't know what to feel. I'm ecstatic she's back. I suppose I don't know how to act around her. Heh. Confusing, right?"

Ann tried her best to decipher what could be eating at Wego, "Mm, only a little. I can understand seeing your sister portrayed as a villain for so many years can fill you with worry. The people she'd be mixing with, the influences they'd have, the places she might end up, where it could take her in the future."

Wego gave a tilted bob from his head, "Well, she wasn't portrayed as a villain, she is one, or was. I'm not quite sure. But…, I'm starting to understand why you're on edge. Worried about my sister's influences on Kim?"

Ann internally facepalmed with an imaginary hand, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend."

He shook a defensive hand at her, "Not at all. I know my sister has quite a complicated past. A past I don't know a whole lot about except what's been on the news and the brief moments of what she's told us."

She wanted to know more but was unsure if she was pressing too hard for information. She thought a moment and thought to try, "Can you tell me about her? Anything from when you were growing up?" Anything to replace the imagery of Kim in a hospital room getting stitched up, getting X-rays for broken bones, or the operating room.

Wego leaned back in his chair and thought a moment. "Unfortunately, there isn't a lot I can recall. I was pretty young and for the most part called her 'Mom' after our parents died. Even now, when I try to remember what my parents look like, I can only see Shego's face on both of them. Silly huh?" he smiled, "Shego was really great from what I remember. She was like any other great mom you hear about. Putting in a hundred percent and then more whenever we needed it. She cooked, put us in school, guided us through homework, got us to do chores as a team, got us to _be_ a team." He took a large sip from his glass and held it for just a moment. "The stuff in-between though, I just… can't remember…, not clearly."

Ann's eyes frowned at the story, "No grandparents? Aunts or Uncles?," she realized she may have been asking too much, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry."

He dismissed it, "We all lived under one roof, one _really_ big roof. And, it was a really big meteor."

She leaned forward as if to offer some form of focused condolence, "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged sadly, "I was too young to remember. But Shego, she was a do-er. She got us through the worst of times. She got our inheritance, our tower, and essentially supported all of us. And then on one shitty night, while I was asleep, she left. I only recently found out why, but that's not important right now. Now that she's back, I have to forcibly say 'Hey Sis' so I don't accidentally call her Mom again," a soft chuckle to himself. He tried to emphasize with his hand, "My memories of Shego are that of a strong woman with a massive heart and a brilliant brain. No matter what anyone says, that's how I will always think of her. I hope that takes some of the edge off."

Ann nodded into her glass and finished it. She took a moment, "It does." Ann tried to use this information, to change her idea of Shego to someone she could hate less, but one short conversation about her was not enough. She did make a good note of it, however.

He picked up the bottle, "Another?"

"You don't mind?"

"Are you kidding? Why would I mind? This is Mego's stash," he grinned.

Ann was overcome with shock, "Is it _really_?"

He chuckled as he poured her another, "It sure is!" He raised the bottle to his lips and downed the rest. With a huffing sigh, "It'll be our little secret."

"Wego!" She admonished and pushed the glass away.

He chuckled, "It's fine, really."

She worriedly glared, "Isn't he going to get mad?"

He nodded quickly with a bright smile on his face, "Oh, he'll be furious when he finds out," he put a hand up and became reassuring, "Don't worry, I was planning on taking the blame anyway. You have nothing to worry about, I promise."

A confused stare, "B-but, why?" Ann really didn't want to become more involved than she already has.

He continued chuckling, "This may or may not have something to do with finding out why Shego 'left' when we were kids." Ann was stunned. "Hey, I was just going to smash the bottles, drinking it was a _much_ better idea. We don't have much time to finish it once it's opened anyway - too damn sweet for me though."

"How much did it cost?" A quietly spoken question as if Mego were in the room with them.

An unsure frown as he looked upwards with raised brows, "That one? Not sure what he bid for it, but somewhere around a mil, I think."

She leaned her head forward with concern, shock, and worry, "A million dollars!?"

"What did you think of it? Definitely too sweet. Also, you better finish that glass before it dies."

She picked up the glass worriedly and sipped at it quickly. The sweetness was like a sharp sherry and downing it as quickly as Wego did would be very discomforting. Another sip, "You're positively evil." Another.

He laughed genuinely and then gave a mock one with arms craned upwards and fingers curled, "Muwha-ha-ha-ha-haaa." He gave a calm smile to her, "This is between me and my two older brothers, but off the record, they deserve a lot worse than a missing bottle of overpriced wine and whatever my twin brother is doing to get back at Hego," an indecisive bounce of his head from side to side, "He's kind of stuck between bengay in his underwear and throwing out his rare trading cards. My guess, if you ask me, he's gonna do both."

Ann covered her ears, "I'm not listening!"

"It feels so good to confess crimes. No wonder villains talk so much about their plans."

"I think I have to check on my husband now!" Ann was getting up until Wego decided to stop his charade.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled, "Really, I was mostly playing around. I _am_ getting back at my brothers but I didn't mean to worry you. I should have been focusing on you. I'll take my leave, please enjoy the view." He gestured to the view of the city and started walking out.

She saw he really didn't mean to make her uncomfortable and perhaps thought she may have overreacted. She didn't want him to leave on her account, "W-wait. Can we talk more about Shego?"

He turned to her, "Um sure, but I pretty much told you all I can."

She nodded once, "Maybe-maybe I have some information for you."

"Oh?"

"I wasn't sure earlier, but what you told me makes me more confident that Shego really could be," she quickly stopped herself and corrected, "I'm sorry, it's just…,"

Wego shook his head, "I understand." He allowed her to continue.

She paused a moment before going on, "We had a rather brief conversation early last week over the phone. I felt she was taking my family away from me. Involving them in this whatever-war. First it was Kim and now my husband, but I won't let her involve my boys. Over my dead body will she have them," she couldn't stop herself from saying the things she meant to keep quiet. She looked at him apologetically, "I was scared and she tried to assure me that his involvement would be minimal and he'd be nowhere near danger. It was hard for me to talk to her. Every time I heard her voice, I thought of the time I almost lost Kim." Wego was clearly discomforted by this. His brows raised and a subtle frown showed he was shocked to hear Shego would ever go that far. "I brought it up, I brought that incident up, and the next thing I hear is a loud pop that nearly ruptured my eardrums followed by her screaming her apologies," Ann waved a confused hand to the air gently, "When I got a hold of her again, she said she meant to hang up. I wasn't sure, it's easy enough to fake, but your story gives me more confidence she was sincere." She took another sip from her glass, "It's very difficult for me to believe her but to hear she was like a mother to you helps." Ann gave a subtle smile.

A slow nod, "I'm sorry to hear about Kim. I'm glad she recovered. If it weren't for her, I'd probably wouldn't see Shego again. From what it sounds like, they have a lot of history together. I'm actually a little jealous." A soft huff, "I'm glad to know Shego apologized. I know an apology doesn't make up for what she did but 'screaming her apologies' sounds like remorse."

"How that relationship started is what concerns me. And where it's going. And how it'll end… if it ends. This whole situation is overwhelming."

"That… I can agree. The overwhelming part I mean. I'm glad to see Shego again, I just wish it was under better circumstances. As far as their relationship, no idea. But…," a beat, "considering she put her…, you, your family and her friends under protection, I think Kim is in good hands."

Ann took these words in and nodded in agreement. It ate at her though. Her mind screamed 'trick' but decidedly avoided more of the conversation.

~oO0Oo~

Both Kim and Shego stared at the ceiling while lying in bed. With their tension diffused, Shego felt it was safe to ask a burning question she had, "How'd it go with Dr. D.?"

"I have so many questions," Kim promptly answered, "but later. I need to figure out what to tell Ron. It's time, it's just-"

"I can tell him and I can do it gently." The obvious necessity to avoid having Kim relive the experience again was Shego's ultimate goal. She advised with eyes that plead with unease and hoped Kim would listen to her just once.

But Kim was in command. It's her call, her experience, and her story to tell. "No, it has to be both of us. I'm just going to take something to keep myself calm."

Was Kim over-medicating? Is this a worry that Shego should have? Shego wasn't sure if she needed to fight Kim on this, "Kim?" Was she being too controlling? Too untrusting? The questions burst into her thoughts like buckshot.

Kim knew this was difficult for Shego. She knew it was difficult for everyone. It was a constant reminder that the Kim they knew, that she, will never be the same again and needs special care. And, to some extent, special handling. Kim hated that but she reminded herself they were being supportive. "Just one extra pill, you can watch me take it." Shego sighed, unsure if it was a good idea. "It'll be okay. I'll do the talking, you… show him."

Shego became more authoritative, "Kim, you tell me immediately when you can't go on."

Kim gripped Shego's hand to assure her, "I will. But we should do this now."

~oO0Oo~

Ron stood in front of Shego's office with his back leaned against the wall. He was playing with his phone to pass the time. Once he spotted Kim and Shego he put the device away. Shego was walking without Kim's support and mostly without a limp. He was awed by her ability to heal so quickly. The two women approached silently until Shego instructed Kim how to enter. "Kim, place your hand here and your head here." She guided her gently to the hand and eye scanners. "Next, enter a pin of your choosing." Shego stepped directly in front of Ron to block his view of the pad. She spoke over her shoulder, "Enter it again to get in." Kim did and the cylindrical door spun to allow a single person to enter. Two could fit if they squeezed but a pressure plate would fail and they would not be able to enter unless specifically set to. "Ron, you're next."

"I have access?"

She closed her eyes a moment. Ron always seemed to strike a nerve Shego couldn't tolerate. How could he be so dense and yet so necessary? She contained her expletives and calmed herself internally. She cursed herself for acting this way and realized, despite his silly assumptions, he was about to get informed of the true terrors this world holds. She tensed at this. She didn't want to hurt Ron but it was time to get him onboard. "You have _one-time_ access." Shego entered a code, took his hand forcefully and positioned it. She did the same for his head.

"Whoa, okay, easy." He wasn't sure if Shego was carrying some anger from the fight. He was under the impression they made up. Maybe, he thought, Kim and Shego had a fight. Or maybe just angry-Shego being angry-Shego.

"In," she instructed flatly.

He entered and then it was her turn to do the same.

All three were present. Directly ahead was Shego's desk built with six large monitors that could be swiveled, turned, raised and lowered. Three on top of the others. Kim had the same setup for her desk on the right of Shego's. Shego had a wall shelf that contained only a single picture frame with an extremely faded photo. Only Shego knew of what it was. Kim's shelf was empty. There were no other chairs besides the ones Shego and Kim had. The office also had a small bedroom and bathroom connected to it, closed off by a wooden door.

Shego flipped one of her trash cans over and motioned to Ron, "Sit." He did reluctantly. Kim quietly placed her trash can next to him just in case his stomach decides to turn.

While Shego logged into her network, Kim took a long, deep breath. "Ron," she started very seriously, "Do you remember earlier this year and years before we were called out on missions rather frequently? It was one right after another with same old 'you won't stop me this time' crap?"

"I remember, KP." He gave a quick nod.

"I was getting tired of it. Same villains for the same dumb crap. I wanted that to end and I wanted to make a real difference," she paused. She remembered how excited and determined she was. "I applied to be part of Global Justice elites. But, I was rejected, initially. They said I had the potential to be a great addition," she circled her hand in the air, "but would be better off if I enlisted in their training programs first; to gain experience," she scoffed, "I was a little angry. I thought they were underestimating me," she shook her head subtly, "I was naive anyway. You don't apply to that faction, _they_ come to you. So, that brings me to what I did next.

"Ron, I told you I was going to study overseas until graduation." A brief uncomfortable sigh came as she was nearing the topic that would change Ron's view of the world, perhaps even of Kim,. "And while that part was true, the real reason for doing so was to stop every broken-record villain we've run into… permanently. Or, at the very least…, let me enjoy a special vacation I planned without interruption. In retrospect…," she looked away for another moment, "in retrospect, I probably could have told you. But, I kept you out of it because I know you don't want the same career path as I do and I also didn't want you to be part of the terrible things I did." Kim was still ashamed of it. She closed her eyes and took a moment to move past it.

Ron took her pause to ask, "What did you do? _How_ did you get everybody? How did you know where?" He was not sure how it was possible but her slogan echoed in his mind and he continued to listen.

Kim knew she was about to paint herself a terrible picture and worried what Ron would think of her, "I took advantage of Wade. He helped but he didn't know I was actively terrorizing our old enemies." Ron gave small look of shock. He didn't know she was capable of being on the offensive in such a way. Kim pushed on. She tried to make her excuse seem reasonable and almost pleaded, "I _just_ wanted them to stop, Ron. I had a full plate of work and school and extracurriculars every day. I wanted to help people, protect them, but it was ridiculous. If it wasn't Monkey Fist, it was Drakken, if it wasn't Drakken, it was Hench, if not him, it was Electronique, if not her, it was McDuff, it was always something stupid. So..., I hurt them..., one by one, I crippled them. I sent their locations to GJ and I finally got noticed." She leaned towards him, "I was _in_ , Ron. It took me months but I did it. I was thrilled. And then, then Betty…," Kim's voice changed. It got lower and angrier, "sent me on a _mission_. Some place sick."

Kim was holding it together, but her anger was clearly showing. Shego placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm okay," she looked up to Shego, "I'm okay." She turned back to Ron, who was unsure how to react, still not knowing what happened. He was unsure why Shego had to calm Kim. "It was a torture house, Ron. I was _purchased_ , to be another victim," Ron furrowed his brows and couldn't believe what he was hearing, "I attracted attention from a _collector_ ," She closed her eyes but continued speaking. A light tremble at the memory but she pushed it away quickly, "And Betty was going to get a nice, fat deposit in her account for delivering me." She turned away and grabbed Shego's arm tightly, "Show him the aftermath, not… not the children, I don't want him to see that. He doesn't need to see that."

Ron looked at Kim, confused, and then looked at Shego. His voice could only utter a small and soft, "What?"

Shego spoke very seriously, "I'm going to show you some images, some of what Kim wanted hidden from you. Wade was able to grab satellite shots of what Kim did to survive." Shego brought up an aerial view of the facility in Belize, smoldered in flames and bodies of guards splayed out.

Ron instantly cringed. He played out a scene in his head of Kim attacking, of how she had to defend, and of how she finished, "I don't understand. W-why did you have to do this? Who are these people?"

Shego continued for Kim, "The men you see lying dead on the ground are mercenaries hired by Global Justice. They-"

Ron tensed, "Dead?"

Kim quickly answered softly while staring at the floor, away from the picture, "Yes. As is everyone in that building. I used whatever I could in the area to set it on fire. I… I had to." She looked up and stared into his eyes, "I had to." She tensely ground her teeth.

Shego interjected to stop Kim from continuing, "Ron, I need you to listen carefully." She watched tears well in his eyes as he cocked his head to look at her instead of Kim, "Kim was going to be a victim and she did what she did to _survive_. The people inside were victims who were only there to suffer for the entertainment of a disgusting, monster."

He brought a hand to his scalp. He pulled tensely at a tuft of hair, "I just…" he shuddered, "I don't understand any of this." His eyes darted to the image briefly and back to Shego.

Kim got up and held the hands of her best friend. She took a breath for herself, "I think we should take a break."

He shook his head, "No Kim," he pulled away, "just tell me why! None of this makes any sense!"

Kim forced herself to stay calm so Ron could, "Ron, I know this is hard. Believe me, I _know_ this is hard." Kim suddenly thought it was a mistake to give him this much information at once. She second guessed herself, that she should have handled this better.

Ron's breathing was a shallow, "Kim, why did she do this to you? To them? Why?"

Shego jumped in, "Money. Power. But, she isn't asking or ordering this to happen, she just allows it for coin… and perhaps protection. The problem's complicated. She's not the only hand in this pile of shit." Shego brought up another image, "Six days, Ron, they searched for six days for Kim's body." He cringed hard at this. "They loaded the bodies of mutilated children into a truck and dumped them in a mass grave." Ron put his hand up to stop Shego and looked away. Shego gave him the needed time before continuing. She chastised herself internally. She forced herself to feel numb to keep her sanity but it wasn't helping Ron. He slowed his breathing and looked up again with a teary anger in his eyes. A gentle nod let her know to continue. "They bombed the area to cover up any evidence.

"I knew Betty wouldn't stop searching for Kim. She's a threat to the integrity of Global Justice. I was scared, Ron. A person with the amount of power wouldn't stop to find Kim. I used the little information Wade gathered and a device he and Dr. D. made to make her and all of GJ to keep their distance. But it wasn't enough. She would have used anyone Kim cared about as leverage and we'd always be looking over our shoulders. It's why I have you here at the lair, it's why I moved everybody." Shego leaned forward on her desk to give Ron the most sincere look she could, "I'm sorry we kept you in the dark," she stared in those tear filled eyes, "I'm sorry for the dumb shit I put you through. It was what we agreed on, to keep you from having the nightmares while being kept in a lair." She paused to let those words sink in.

Ron closed his eyes and nodded his understanding. He opened his mouth to speak and a faint tremble was in voice, "How are they able to do this? How are they completely unnoticed?"

Shego looked to Kim for an approval. She knew him best and Shego hoped Kim knew when to stop. Kim gave her a saddened nod to continue, "Here's what we know about Betty and her secrets so far." Shego passed a file to his lap and elaborated on specific details about Dr. Betty Director and the overall process of how she extorts money from villains, allowed sick 'private prisons' to exist, and the basic workings of what keeps Kim and everyone generally safe. Shego went slow and tried to read his expression to see if she needed to stop. She paused when he needed time to process and only continued when he was ready. Kim could only watch Ron's heart break. It wasn't just the horrible living nightmare that existed, it was also the fact that GJ was supposed to be one of the good guys. _They_ were supposed to be the ones to take care of situations like these.

Kim wouldn't allow Ron to know the gory details of what she encountered. And she tried desperately to explain that if it weren't for Shego, none of them would be safe.

Ron was left completely speechless. He struggled to form words but nothing came. All he could think about was that it wasn't supposed to happen. Who was to protect everyone if not Global Justice?

Kim thought it might have been far too much now. That she should have told him a slowly over the months. She thought she was protecting him, "I'm sorry Ron, I'm so sorry. I never wanted anyone to be involved," Kim gave him some more time but she need to ask, "Ron..., will you help us?" She immediately cursed herself silently. How could she ask that so soon?

He was left muttering and staring at his hands, "It's unreal. How can this be possible? Any of it, how?" The reality was hitting him harder than Kim expected. He rubbed and pinched his forehead. In a breathy whisper, "H-how?"

Shego softened and crouched down to meet him eye to eye, "Out of all the crazy you've encountered in your life, technologically or otherwise, you know there's a lot you just accept because your priorities are just to stop evil. This is the most evil and we need to stop it. Do you want to end this?"

A very breathy, "Yes," was his response.

" _Will_ you help us?"

He looked at her dead in the eyes, "Yes, but-but what can I possibly do against… _this_?"

Shego stood back up, "I have a plan. But, it will take time. If we go in unprepared, we fail and more will suffer. We train, we get intel, we eliminate obstacles surgically."

Ron reflected how this must have been so awful for Kim. His eyes darted around to think of something to say to her, "Kim, I'm sorry, I just didn't know." His eyes teared looking at Kim, "I'm sorry."

Kim hugged him, "You weren't supposed to know. None of this was supposed to exist. But now we have to prepare."

He nodded on her shoulder, "There's more isn't there? I should know."

"You don't need to. You will never sleep, Ron." She hugged him tighter, "Don't ask again."

Ron was silent but eventually pulled away from Kim, "What now? Just back to laundry duty? Walk around, like everything's normal? Wait for the next order? What can I do?"

Shego started, "Right now, take the rest of the day off. Do what you need to help yourself. I'll schedule a psych appointment with our doctor. Whatever you need, Ron, just let me know. We'll reassign your distraction-duties to the new team members."

Ron buried his head into his hands and then abruptly got up and headed for the door. He pushed a button to exit and left.

Kim slumped in her chair and felt as if she just crushed the life out of her best friend.

Shego tried to reassure her, albeit her tone was saddened, "He'll be fine Kim. Like everyone else, he just needs time."

Kim took a breath and exhaled her response, "I know he will. I know." She took a moment to gather herself, "This office, you planned for me to be here?"

Shego sat down in her chair with a lethargic thump. The mood was now fully darkened, "I knew I wasn't going to be able to say no to you, but I had to try. I know I'm better off with you, but I'd still prefer it if you were just safe and had no further part in this. I planned the office from the beginning knowing you'd deny me the chance to protect you."

"So…, what can I do here?"

Shego wished she'd just take a break. She answered anyway, "You have access to everything like I do. I was serious about you being in command. With the few exceptions I noted earlier, you… command… me. I have tasks for you, but given you are here, I'm interested in what you would like first."

She thought hard. She chose what ate at her the most, "If that's the case, I want a briefing on what's happened between the time you left me alone at our island home and now."

Shego let out a stressful sigh, "Alright, you're the boss. But we're doing this slow."

A subtle nod, "Alright."

Shego went on to describing her investigation on Dr. Director, setting up the lair and her home, and moving her parents and friends to safer places within the first two months in greater detail. She proceeded giving her information on someone who has a leash on Betty and a link to 'Satan's Teacher'. Additionally, she informed her that destroying that facility in Belize may have been taken personally. Then she spoke of allies ranging from loyal henchmen to connections she's made during her mercenary days.

Kim closed her eyes, listening to every detail, and only opened them when Shego shared a file or image. "Okay, stop here…, for now. I'm sorry, I know there's more…"

Shego was actually thankful for the break. "Just let me know…," Shego checked the time and pondered briefly, "Hey, we have a pretty big kitchen here, you want to help me make lunch?"

Not exactly the most appealing task, but for the moment, it was much better than thinking about the details she just heard, "Okay."

~oO0Oo~

Kim and Shego spent the long walk in silence and tried to compartmentalize along the way. Neither of them liked the silence but neither of them had anything left to say. Each of their steps echoed lightly down the long corridors. Each step became more noticeable than the last. Kim shifted her pace to be asynchronous to Shego's but Shego didn't like the echoing of so many feet and shifted her pace to match Kim's. Kim, having thought it was unintentional, tried again only for Shego to do it once more. Kim huffed a small laugh, a small distraction from the flooding thoughts she was slowly managing to push down, "S-stop that."

Inquisitive as she let her mind wander, "Hm?"

"Nothing…," she shifted again but it wasn't long before her steps were in sync again, "You're doing it on purpose aren't you?"

Still confused, "Kim?"

Kim's eyes narrowed, unsure of Shego, "Your feet."

"Oh," she understood now, "yeah, I don't like the clip-clop. Sounds like a horse," she focussed harder now to keep pace with Kim.

Kim snickered, "It's killing me!"

"We're almost there." Shego smirked back and saw that Kim was trying to throw her off but managed to tactfully stay toe to toe. The awkwardly walked a short minute until they arrived.

Kim huffed, "Ass." She looked around the vacant area filled with long tables with a hint of surprise, "This is-"

Shego quickly noted the obvious, "A cafeteria, yes. Gotta feed your live-in henchmen."

She blinked at its vastness, "Why haven't I seen your other lairs have these kinds of accommodations?"

"You never went deep enough," she shrugged. "Villainy isn't cheap, Pumpkin. But hey, it creates jobs," she smirked. "Alright, let's see," she stared into the giant refrigerator, grab the tomatoes and the shrimp. I got everything else." She pulled out several bags of vegetables and shrimp in each hand.

Kim walked over and peered in, "How many do we need?"

"All of them."

"Oh…," it dawned on Kim that they weren't just cooking for themselves when Shego handed her a hairnet, "A gumbo?"

"Good guess, going to be a quick shrimp and corn gumbo. The steps are basically throw shit together in a large pot and put some heat on it for several hours. Except, we don't have that much time, so we're gonna pressure cook it."

"You don't have a designated cook or… cooks?" Kim was a little shocked she wouldn't have staff for this and the time that Shego spent with her would mean everybody starved. It didn't add up.

"Our um," she twisted her face mildly, "current cook is in need of some personal time," Shego looked at Kim suggestively.

"Ron," she said quietly.

She shrugged her brows, "So it's me, or if you want, us, today. I think one of our techs used to be a chef. Maybe I'll put everyone on a rotation if no one volunteers to help. But… this first."

Kim and Shego prepped the food and loaded two giant pressure cookers. Kim noticed a slight smile appear on Shego's face whenever she cooked, "How long have you enjoyed cooking?"

"Hm?" Shego tilted her head towards Kim, "I guess as long as I can remember. Dad and I would bake a lot when I was a kid while Mom was away on business. And Mom would do the same when Dad was away. We'd cook roasts, little desserts, and sauces that she knew. I would hang around our chefs when they were both away. The chefs were so much better at it," she laughed, "I didn't get a lot of time with my parents when I was young, but when they were around, we cooked. They made it fun. I guess I get a little nostalgic."

"Chefs huh?," Kim put a hand on Shego's hip, "As in plural?"

Shego turned to face her, "As in plural, Pumpkin. We had a big estate and my entire family, along with the live-in staff, stayed there."

"Hmmm," Kim joked, "You were a big spoiled brat back then, huh?"

"Ho ho," she chuckled, "I'll admit, my upbringing focused on how to lead and I was given every opportunity they could afford, but I was taught to do the work too, _Kim._ " Shego corrected herself casually, "Then again, I thought every family had a house full of live-in staff until I realized maids and butlers didn't have their own maids and butlers when I was ten."

Kim snickered, "Cute… but also terrible."

"Yeah, well, everyone lives in a bubble." She quickly changed the subject back to the meal that needed to be made, "Alright, let's get the kitchen set up to serve everyone. No backing out now, Cupcake," she smiled, "The team will be happy to see you."

Kim gave an embarrassed laugh, "Why would they be?"

Without looking, "You're kind of famous, Kimmie."

"What? No I'm not. I just help out."

"Come on, this again?" Shego stared at her incredulously.

"Well I didn't think it would make me _famous_ ," she defended.

"Yeah, yeah, come on, cut some bread, get some bowls and trays from the cabinets. Chop chop, we only have about an hour and half before they start marching in."

Kim narrowed her eyes, "I thought _I_ was _your_ boss."

"You can officially reprimand me on Monday. It should give your Monique friend a chance to see that I'm not always a terror."

"I'll consider it, now, where's bread."

~oO0Oo~

Kim served every shocked face in line who saw her, greeted her, and complimented her. Each ecstatic to have met her so closely. Right beside her was Shego showing subtle signs of jealousy. But, there was no sign of Ron. When everyone was served, she turned to Shego, "Do you know where I can find Ron? I'm little worried about him."

"I can show you were his room is but no guarantees that he's there."

"It's a start."

She lightly smacked Kim's arm, "Kimmie, don't forget to eat"

Kim put up her hands, "Just until I find Ron, don't worry about it."

With a wave of her hand, "Alright, follow me."

~oO0Oo~

Shego pounded on the thick metal door, "Yo! Ron! You in there!?"

Kim admonished with a look filled with disbelief, "What is this? A raid? Could you be a little more gentle?"

She defended, "Not easy to talk through these doors, Kimmie. Call him on your Kimmunicator."

"Oh, that's actually a good idea." Kim began to dial him when he opened the door.

The door uttered a loud thump and opened slowly, "I'm here guys," he sighed heavily, "just come in."

"I'll wait outs-"

Ron interrupted, "You too Shego."

"What?" Shego did not think her eyebrows could reach that high.

As he walked back in, "Might as well, you'll hear it from Kim anyway."

All three walked into his room and he sat back to his bed and stared at his feet.

Kim started, "Ron?"

The room itself wasn't very large but had the bare necessities - A white wall which hung a thin screen TV, a blue adjacent walled, framed in white with wall shelves. The shelves held several fidget toys, a few pictures of rufus and rufus and Ron, together, selfies, and a couple of pictures of him with Kim's family and friends.

His voice was void of any of his usual bright optimism, "Yeah K.P.?"

To the left of his bed was a desk and a laptop with limited internet access. And just to the right of the desk was the door to a connected bathroom.

Kim shared her concern, "You didn't come to lunch. Why don't we all eat together?" She wore a gentle and encouraging smile.

Unfortunately, her smile was left unnoticed, and his understandably melancholy mood remained, "Oh, It's lunchtime? Sorry. I was going to cook some chicken dish. I guess I better get to it."

Kim quickly stopped him from getting up, "No, no it's okay. We took care of it."

Shego jumped in, "You have the day off, Ron, and your duties are being reassigned. I meant it, anything you need."

He laid back down and closed his eyes to avoid staring at the ceiling light, "Oh, yeah, about that..., I'm probably not going to be good at whatever you intend for me to do." He rocked his head slowly against his pillow, "I want to help guys, I do, but look at my history. I'm not smart, I'm not useful, I'm likely just going to burden both of you or screw it up. The last thing I want is get you killed Kim. So yeah, I'm probably just good with my grunt work. It's the only thing I can do well."

Shego's eyes knitted, "Kim, can I please kick his ass?" She felt sorry for him but self-loathing was not an option right now.

"Shego! Stop it."

Ron allowed it in his most depressing voice, "It's okay KP, it's only fair."

Kim tried to settle this quickly, "Will you just stop! Both of you." She reproved their behavior with a glare at both of them.

Shego took a breath and corrected with what she meant to say, "Ron, I'm not going to do anything to you. Listen to me, which I'm sure you're tired of doing, but hear me out," She dragged a hand over her face for what she was about to say, "Believe it or not, you've done a lot. You helped protect Kim. I'm not gonna have you fish for compliments, so I'm stopping there. Okay?" She didn't like showing her nicer side to anyone but Kim. "I understand you're in a shit spot right now. You've been thrown into this clusterfuck and I know I didn't make things easier for you before all this happened." Shego pulled out a chair from his desk to sit next to him, "I know you don't trust me, and hey, I get it, but right now, Ron, we need to work together. We need your help, _I_ need it."

He sat up, "Shego… do you _really_ have something I can do? I mean, what you said before… it's true, isn't it? I don't have any skills."

Shego released a heavy, dissatisfied sigh, "You didn't get a whole lot of guidance growing up, did you?"

Kim gave a disapproving tone, "Shego?"

She defended quickly, "I wasn't being sarcastic," Shego took a 10x10 Rubik's cube off his shelf and shuffled it. He handed it to Ron, "Complete it."

He pursed his lips, confused at the abrupt task, and began working on it, "I don't get why you want me to play with a toy, Shego." Kim and Shego watched the rotating puzzle unravel in front of them in silent and concealed aamazement. After six minutes he solved it. "Okay, here. What's your point?"

Shego facepalmed, "You just solved a 10x10 Rubik's cube in less than seven minutes! When you were fucking with Drakken's weapons and machines, did you really just hit things at random or did it just make sense to you? Answer honestly." _How can he be this smart and so stupid!?_

"I don't know. I mean," he rolled his eyes exaggeratedly thinking about it, "I had to hit things at random first to see what it did. His machines seemed to follow a standard, you know, so I just made them do what they weren't supposed to do and boom," he shrugged, "I just wanted to make things difficult for you.

Shego twitched an eye, "Oh, believe me, you did," a brief hesitation, "Are you still not seeing what I'm getting at? You're a mechanical genius, you idiotic buffoon!"

"Okay, yeah, feelings, still hurt," he glared, "And I'm not a genius, Shego. I can't design or create. I wreck things, it's the only thing I'm good at. And maybe cooking. Unless you got something I can destroy, and you know, not secretly, I can't do much else."

Shego was losing the remaining amount of patience she had, "Kimmie, has he always been like this? I thought he was supposed to be all high energy and self confident. What the hell?"

Kim was actually getting a little irritated as well. It seemed like he was, in fact, fishing for compliments. She was understanding, though, and replied with a subtle casualness, "He compares himself to people and never sees his good sides. So he beats himself up a lot. But in front of everyone else he tries to make people's day better by always forcing a positive attitude."

He was surprised Kim would say all this, "Uh guys? I'm _right_ here."

Shego tried to make it very clear, "Most people can't do what you can do, Ron. I can direct you, use your full potential, but you need to want to. You want to know what tasks I have for you? I intend to use you for testing Wade's and Dr. D's work. I need you to make sure it's safe for us to use and expose all the flaws. I need you to look at…," Shego didn't want to talk about mission locations but it was necessary, "some very bad places and tell us how to get in. I need escape routes that only you can see when we're on a mission. Do you understand how important you are to this?"

Ron was sincerely surprised. Filled with disbelief but still surprised, "Well… why didn't anyone tell me!? Kim, did you know?" He looked at her for confirmation.

She shrugged, "I always said you had a lot of potential, Ron. But you wanted to play video games, you wanted to be popular, you didn't want to study for the subjects you didn't like-"

He threw his hands to the air, "Okay! Fine. But your potential speech could have been said to anyone. It seemed like it was just, you know, bullshit to make people feel better about themselves."

Kim tightened a corner of her mouth, "Everyone _does_ have potential, it's not bullshit."

"Oh come on, some things are just _easier_ for some people and-"

"And now it's lunch. Get up, vent time is over, eat," Shego ordered while Ron frowned for getting cut off, "Hey, don't mope anymore, we don't have time for it. Not until this is over. I need my team fully functional in two months, I need better visibility as to whatever the fuck is lurking over the cyclops so I can take him, her, or them out. This is hard enough. I need help!" She paused to collect herself, "Look, I need our team to be a _team_. When we're working, we aren't going to be friends. We need a system, a protocol to follow. Commands and orders need to be followed to the letter. No jokes, no trying to look at the bright side, no emotional attachments. We plan, we command, we follow, we execute." She let out a heavy, stress filled sigh. "I literally have a single plan. If I fail, that's it, I don't have a plan 'B'. We're lucky to have some time on our side, but it _will_ run out."

Ron saw a bit of the terror and fear in her eyes. She tried to mask it with anger but it was there, lingering in the subtle quiver of her shoulders. He became more serious, "I get it Shego. I'm sorry, I'll cooperate."

Shego relaxed to this. Maybe now they won't fight anymore. Perhaps now, Ron can work with her. "You don't need to be sorry. No one does. Everyone here was thrown into this." She looked at a clock on his wall, "Come on, I don't want the kitchen burners evaporating all our food."

He nodded, "Alright," and all left.

~oO0Oo~

Hego shrieked, "Fuck! Ahhh! Ahyahyah! AGH! GODDAMN IT WHAT THE HELL! FUCKIN' BURNS!" He dashed to the shower, "Owowow!" He breathed frantically through his teeth as he aimed the showerhead at his crotch. "What the fuck?" The scent of athletic cream woft in his nose. "What the…," he brought his underwear close to his nose, and as soon as he did, a bright flash came from behind him.

Wego snickered, "Oh yeah, that's definitely going on the internet."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but that's just beautiful." He grinned with every intent to do harm.

Hego turned around quickly, "What the FUCK!? GUYS, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

One twin huffed, "Should we tell him after he finds out his trading cards were given away."

Still protecting his crotch, "YOU WHAT!? I'M GONNA KILL YOU TWO!"

"Oops!" They snickered.

A vein had exposed itself on Hego's forehead, his eyes bulged with madness, "EXPLAIN! NOW! RIGHT NOW!"

Casually, "We've been recording the whole time, so maybe you want to put some pants on." Wego waved a finger pointing at his lower extremities.

"COME! ON!" He was getting up and slipped a bit from the wet shower floor. "I'm actually going to have to kill you. I'll keep digging graves for as many of you as I need to but you guys _are_ DEAD!"

"You know it doesn't work like that."

"You big idiot."

He growled fiercely, " _EXPLAIN!"_

Wego playfully slapped his twin's arm and pointed at Hego, "Oh, I think he's going to have a stroke. You still recording?"

"Yup."

"Good," he quickly became angry. His face carried a hateful frown, "I want to see his face when I tell him we found out why Shego left."

Hego slowed his breathing, and huffed heavily through his nose. Shame overwhelmed him and was on the verge of crying. He took one hard look at both of his brothers and walked past them. He sat on the edge of his bed and let tears seep into his hands.

"I can't tell if he's faking."

"Turn it off, turn off the camera." Wego did and approached their big brother.

He moaned out, "I'm sorry," he cried, "I'm so sorry." Hego thought of that day he cast her out. The day he made the phone call to the bank to close out her account. The day he locked her out of the tower.

Wego looked at each other awkwardly, "Okay, this wasn't part of the plan."

A tremble from his thoughts, "It was a mistake. I _thought_ it wasn't right. I was sure of it. And I pushed her out. I kicked out the _one_ person who was keeping us all together. The one person that did everything. I'm sorry."

Both twins shook their heads in disbelief and disapproval, "Why didn't you try to get her back?"

He threw his hands outwards, "Because I'm an idiot!" he was willing his tears away, "Kim brought her back. She made it make sense. I just… I didn't think it was natural, I didn't _get_ it. And when she became a villain for that blue guy, I thought, 'Oh, I made the _right_ decision'," he wiped a hand across his face, "But I'm going to make up for it, guys, I swear I will."

The ridiculousness of his idiocy made Wego feel more angry. They calmed themselves knowing, now, Hego was going to be better, "Shego told us that too. She didn't want us messing with you, but goddamn, Hego, you basically got rid of our mom! I don't even remember our _actual_ mom and dad!"

Hego cringed hard hearing this. It had almost started up his tears again. He sniffed with heavy intake, "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I will make this up to you and her. I swear it."

Mego ran into the room, "WHO KNOWS WHERE MY VINTAGE WINE WENT!?" He observed the room a bit more, "WHY AREN'T YOU WEARING PANTS!?"

Hego lifted his head toward Mego, "Wine collection, huh? No sports cream in your underwear?"

Fully confused, "What!?"

Wego answered quickly, "We found out why Shego left."

"She told us not to mess with you-"

"but you guys were pieces of _shit_."

"You deserve worse."

Mego was slowly gathering the situation, "Just to be clear, it definitely _wasn't_ one of the Possible's? Right?"

Wego threw his arms out, "I fuckin' drank it Mego!"

"Okay! I get it! I didn't want to accuse them." He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, "Guys, I've regretted what I did for years. If… if you want to drink the rest, go ahead. It was a stupid hobby anyway." He looked away shamefully.

Wego stared at them for a moment, ensuring they were feeling real remorse. "So, all these years, telling us she left on her own to be a villain was a fuckin' lie. Great!"

"We should have gone out. We could have done it, we could have had her back sooner."

"We weren't sure what she'd do to us if the stories about her were true. We thought she was actually evil! But great, they weren't, thanks guys." Both Hego and Mego frowned.

Mego chimed in, "We're going to repent, Wego. We're gonna be better."

"I sure as hell hope so."

~oO0Oo~

Shego's face contorted at the very sound of the voice that came over the phone. That bubbly shrill giggle was more than enough to make crush the device with her hand. But she couldn't, it was too important.

"How's my little blue man, hmm?" Amy teetered.

Shego was back in her office while Kim was getting her suit tested. It was the perfect opportunity to negotiate what Amy would want in exchange for helping Shego perfect a serum that wouldn't take away her glow.

In complete disbelief Shego asked flatly, "You want… a date with him?"

"You _did_ say _anything_."

"You know I meant anything within my control. The guy isn't a romantic, he doesn't like _anyone_ that way!"

"No date, no help." Shego could sense her being smug behind the phone. "I'm waiting," she said in a sing-song tone.

Shego grit her teeth, "You'll get your date Amy, but you help whether or not it goes well or I don't even try."

"Mm, fine. I'll need a pint of your blood."

"A pint?" Nearly a growl into the phone.

"Two if you could spare it."

Shego was getting suspicious, "The contract on the _use_ of _my blood_ is that it is the sole purpose to aid _me_ and serves no other! If there is any extra of the sample left, it is to be destroyed!"

"Alright! Okay, you big meanie. I just need the pint, sheesh!"

"Fine, I'll get back to you when I have more details." Shego hung up and groaned at the air.

~oO0Oo~

Shego walked into one of the sub labs in the lair. She wore a faint smile, not meant to be threatening. Dr. Drakken glanced up at her for a moment and continued working, "No."

Shocked, "But-"

He repeated, "No."

"Just-"

"No."

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK!"

He looked up and pointed a precision tool at her, "I know that look Shego! You wear it every time you want something and I'm going to hate it." He waved the tool once and attempted to get back to work.

"Well, maybe _this time_ you _won't_ hate it." _I know you're going to hate it._ Shego held in her thoughts and tried to be convincing.

Without looking up, "No."

"Dr. D.!" she stamped her foot.

"Oh, what, Shego?" He placed the tool on the table, stood up straight, and folded his arms.

"I need you to go…"

He leaned forward a little, "Yes?"

"...on a date…"

He craned and twisted his neck, "Wiiiith?"

"DNAmy."

Disgusted, "Eww, no."

Her hands were thrown upwards, "You used to like her!"

"No, I did NOT!" He was given a stern look. "Alright! Maybe a _little,_ but that was _before_ I found out about her little cuddle fetish with her… creepy abominations." He glared, "Creeps me out," he shuddered in disgust.

She thrusted her finger forward and upward, "One date! You never have to see her again after. Just do it!"

He looked away like a child, "Why!?"

She looked as if about to strangle him, "Because I need her help and the only way I can get it is if you go on a date with her. Okay?"

"Why should I?"

Shego narrowed her eyes at him, "Because some _genius_ made a particular serum that stops my glow. But let's not stop there, let's talk about how I have been the lair's maid and butler on top of doing everything else for you for years. Shall we? Hmm!? Remember the _sock_ incident?"

"FINE! FINE! Fine, Shego, we don't need to go there. _One_ 'date'," he finger-quoted, "But _I_ choose where."

She rolled her eyes, "Great. Where do you wanna go, Dr. D.? Just make it's secure. And not here."

"Oh, it's secure alright," he nodded, "Don't you worry about _that_." He held an awkwardly smug face for a lot longer than he should.

"Great, you have no idea. I'll pick it out, you just be there."

"Yes, erm, thank you, I guess."

~oO0Oo~

The door to Shego's and Kim's office slid open and Kim entered. Shego was hunched over with her arms splayed out on her desk. A heavy sigh followed by a stressful flapping of her lips, "Hi, Pumpkin. Is your suit fixed?"

"I… think so. Wade made the modifications instead of handing it to Drakken. Are you okay?"

Another dramatically heavy sigh, "Yeah, I guess."

In a sympathetic tone, "Come oonnn, what's the matter?"

Shego sat up, "Dr. D. has a date."

Kim paused a moment to make sure she heard right and then snorted some laughter, "What?"

"With DNAmy."

Kim snorted harder, "What?"

"And I basically have to set it up for them like some kind of morbid matchmaker."

Kim couldn't hold it any longer and laughed, "Pffbt whaha what?"

"KiiiIIIiiim," she whined.

Still recovering from laughter, "Okay, okay, start from the beginning." She walked over to her desk and sat down.

"You know how that pen of mine takes away my glow and basically makes me normal?"

"The fatty pen."

Shego's eyes rolled gloriously, "Yes Kim, the fatty pen." Kim snorted. " _Anyway_ , it's crucial I get something that doesn't have those negative side effects. Drakken can't figure it out. Wade's beyond brilliant, but he just doesn't know organic chemistry or molecular biology to the depth that I need. So I asked-"

"Shego, you didn't…," Kim worriedly asked.

She defended with worry, "I have to, I don't have a choice!"

"Ask _ME_! This is _my_ field. So that's what you were talking about back at the docs place?"

"Kimmie, yes, I generally don't want you involved, I have so many other things I need you for that I can't have you prioritize this instead, and lastly you _just_ started learning. We don't have time for tests even though I know you'd eventually get it right. Please understand, I need someone who already has the expertise on a mad-science level."

"And what if she screws up or-or-or deliberately hurts you?"

"I'll let her know that you'll send all her pets to a chocolate factory for jolly good fun."

Kim put a hand to her forehead and then stressfully extended her fingers, "I'm serious, Shego. This is really worrying."

Shego spitballed a plan, "I'll give you all the data she has before we test it. If you see anything wrong, we make sure she understands that going back on our deal has consequences."

"I don't know about this Shego." Kim shook her head.

Her eyes begged for an alternative, "I don't know of any other options, do you?"

Kim looked defeated, "My dad and I know scientists… we could-"

Shego glared incredulously, "Ask them to develop a serum that would aid someone they only know as a supervillain and trust they don't alert some government agency of this detail that I'm otherwise desperately trying to keep secret?"

She closed her eyes to think and pursed her lips briefly, "Alright, fine, but I _do_ want that data. I want the process. Everything."

She leaned back, "So far our agreement is that she only helps if she gets-"

"Drakken. Does he even like her?" Her nose scrunched with the question.

Shego waggled a hand and only uttered a sound, "Eh."

A roll of her eyes, "Great… just great."

Shego shrugged, "The loose terms are that she helps even if the date goes horrendous."

Kim waved a hand around, "Yeah, because an emotionally distraught mad scientist is the best candidate to work on something so important."

"Yeah," she flopped herself back on her desk.

Kim placed a hand on her back, "I'll help, but mainly because I want her to know it's not just you involved. And not to mention the date should, at the very least, be entertaining."

Shego mumbled, "Or terribly horrifying," then it hit her, "Wait, you intend to watch them?"

Kim smirked, "How about a double date?"

She looked disgusted as she sat up again, "With them?"

Kim looked at her with a raised brow, "You think Drakken won't purposely try to push her away? Besides, wouldn't it be better to make sure they actually have a date and she has no way of lying her way out of a deal?"

She thought a moment, "You're sexy when you're so smart. But, you are aware, this will be the longest, most awkward, and uncomfortable date… ever?"

"We'll get through it… probably. So, when is this happening?"

Shego turned her palms up, "Hell if I know. Any ideas?"

"Next Saturday? I'm guessing the 'where' is the real issue here."

She nodded slowly, "Uh huh. Basically any place secure is dark and dank and... Gah! Why couldn't she just want money!?"

"The heart wants what it wants," Kim placed a hand on hers.

"Cute Kimmie, but I need someplace fast."

"Why not one of your-," she cleared her throat, " _our_ safe houses? You could blindfold them on the way. We could just clean up the gym, the giant window is good enough, throw in some music, it'd be great."

"But- but that's my sanctuary place, I don't want them tarnishing that with new memories of them…," Shego shuddered to think what could happen.

"Come on, Shego, it's one time. And the more I think about it, if things go well, maybe we can use her in the future."

"But KiiiIIIiiim," she whined.

"Shego-o-o," she authoritatively pushed back on Shego's whine.

Shego slumped, "Kiii-iii-iii-mmmm," she whined harder.

She pointed at her, "Don't make me make it an order."

Clearly unhappy with the decision, "I'll burn the place down 's what I'll do Kim. If I can't have it, no one will!"

Kim knelt down and hugged Shego's waist, "That's my girl." She set her head down on her lap.

"You suck," she pouted while caressing Kim's head, "Stop moving around so much down there."

"It's comfy."

Shego placed a hand on Kim's head, "That extra pill is making you sleepy, isn't it?"

"Mmm." She further nodded into her lap.

* * *

Well, this chapter was super stressful for me to edit. I had to cut a small scene and it hurt a little. Sigh.

ANYWAY, this is the midway point and I need your reviews. Like... I NEEEED it. So far, I get that Kim's trauma was a bit much (and I've reduced that and will be reducing further in future chapters) But, are you seeing redundancy of words? How do you feel about the story so far? Do you like the interaction with the other characters (Everyone I mention will be more relevant later - especially when I make the sequel to this story). What do you think of the writing style? Should I painting a better picture of the environment? Emotions? Expressions? Is it too much? Too little? Are things tying together as you expect? Am I straying away from what you want? Please don't make me hold the next chapter hostage :)

Your feedback is really important. I'm trying to improve my vocabulary and writing style constantly and I can't tell if you're just following along because I'm shipping a KiGo story or if the story is actually interesting.

And in case you don't know, check out my profile for story order as ALL my stories are connected.

Up next (Chapter 15) is some more Shego and Ron time, a little bit of Will and Cynthia, and a brief scene with Monique. Chapter 16 will be a fluff chapter with Monique, Kim, and Shego going on their shopping spree.

And thank you all for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

The white lights flickered over the isle and seemed to exacerbate the nervousness in the woman looking at the cold and flu medicines. _Why are there so many brands. Do I want extra strength? Plus sinus relief? Decongestant for runny nose? What does that even mean? Does it stop a runny nose or decongest you? Wait, if I take these, doesn't that mean I can work? Tissues, I need tissues. How long have I looked at this without coughing?_ She gave a dry cough without covering and a passers by gave her a look. Monique apologized awkwardly, "S-sorry, I think I'm coming down with something." _That was stupid! Obviously!_ She grabbed anything off the shelf and went straight to the tissues isle. _I'm walking too fast. You are so obviously not sick. Just get tissues and leave! Huuugh!_

Monique dumped her products on the counter when it became her turn. A six pack of tissues, three different cold medicines, and a laxative. Monique stared at the laxative with eyes that widened the longer she held her gaze and with plenty of embarrassment, but remained silent.

With as little effort as the store clerk could muster, "Do you have a savers card with us ma'am?" An hourly wage that can hardly pay for rent, let alone any hours to earn for said rent, defined the number of shits the clerk could give if Monique did or didn't. The script that was forced to be memorized was all that was required to keep the hourly wage. An uplifting attitude cost extra and it just wasn't within the store's budget.

Nervously, "Uh, um no, I must have left it at home."

As if it were a flowchart response, if no, "Okay, you can enter your phone number to use it."

Moniqued lied. She just wanted to move through the transaction quickly. "Oh, I uh… don't actually have one."

The sales clerk sighed, "Do you want to apply for one?"

The clerk looked up and made eye contact with Monique. Now embarrassed, she tried to think of an escape, "Um…," _Paper trail, paper trail, paper trail._

"Ma'am?"

But failed, "Yes. Yes I do."

Another sigh. A line began to form behind Monique and she needed to be moved along, "Please enter your phone number." The touch screen monitor swiveled to her direction for her to enter.

"R-right." Monique began entering and then realized that the store automatically started with the state's area code, but her number was still the area code from Middleton. She had to hit backspace but instead she accidentally hit cancel. "Shit. Sorry. Can you…" The clerk swiveled it back to enter a code to go back to the screen she needed and again swiveled it to face her. "Th-thanks." She entered her phone number. "Done," she smiled.

"Total is $37.60."

"Okay," she quickly swiped her credit card and waited. It was taking an unusually long time, "Um-"

"It's a chip card."

Monique wasn't paying attention, "What?"

"Your card. It has a chip."

"Huh?" She looked at the card, checking for any dents or divots.

"You need to insert it, ma'am."

"Oh… gahd, a chip chip, not a chip in the-" she inserted the card and waited with her face getting hotter. She stared at the words, 'PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE YOUR CARD'. Each second felt like obnoxious minutes taking a slow stride. 'APPROVED'

'Please remove your card.'

The words finally appeared.

As dreadfully emotionless as it had been, "Here's your receipt. Thanks for shopping with us at-"

"UH HUH!," she snatched the receipt, her card, the bag, and left hastily. _Just end me!_

~oO0Oo~

Shego walked into the game room and watched Ron play some generic first person shooter from the doorway. He appeared to be dominating. She decided to sit next to him even though watching the motion, while not in control, was dizzying.

As she sat down, he greeted her without looking away from the screen, "Hey."

"Hey."

"You're not with Kim?" His hands flexed over the controller effortlessly and accurately. It was almost autonomous in the way he maneuvered his character across the game's level. A level he's played too many times and have memorized the locations and timing of weapon and health pack respawns.

"I let her know where I'd be."

"You aren't here to game, are you?"

"Just chillin'" She watched him finish the match and was surprised to see he didn't die once. "New players?"

"Nah, just too much practice in high school. Realizing now I wasted my life. But hey, I was aiming to be a professional gamer anyway."

Shego suddenly saw him return to the matchmaking screen, "What happened?"

"Got booted because people thought I was cheating. Makes it harder to play this game. I sometimes make my own matches but everybody leaves. Eh, well, what can you do when you go up against the _Ron_ ster." He dropped the controller to the floor and sighed.

Shego looked at him with some concern, "You all right?"

He leaned back into the couch and stared blankly ahead. Gaming wasn't working, "Nah, not really."

Shego didn't really know where to look and sort of nodded while looking away, "Yeah, everything is pretty fucked up right now."

His eyebrows raised and lowered in a manner of agreement, "Yeah and how."

She realized she made the environment a little unpleasant. She had a questioned that lingered on her mind and it was the main reason for coming in. A few moments of pause before the silence became too awkward, "I um, I wanted to ask you a question. A moral one."

This took him out of his thoughts. The topic was so peculiar. Her persona was so different from the Shego he knew and hated. He had to forcefully remind himself that Shego was now different from that and gave in to the current reality. He quickly blinked away his surprise, "Okay, shoot."

Shego needed a perspective that hadn't been tainted by trauma, "I'm going to hurt people, Ron," an ever so slight pause, "And then I'm going to end them permanently. Are you really willing to help me do this?"

Ron swallowed uncomfortably to this, "I said I would help."

Shego gave one slow nod, "You did but you aren't aware of how you'd be helping. I want you to understand, while these people, if you can even call them people, deserve every bit of hell I intend to give them, it's still a life that I will snuff like a candle flickering in the dark." She was almost trying to talk him out of participating.

Ron was catching on, "You're not asking if I'll help, you're trying to justify your actions."

Shego looked away, "Well…, can you justify them?"

Having had every intent to end Shego the day before, "I'm the last person you should-"

Agitated that he was dodging, "Well, I _am_ asking you. Whether you think you'd be good at answering this or not. I'm asking _you._ " Shego needed to hear his answer. She needed someone she thought was far more morally equipped than her to tell her that her actions were justifiable. That they were just.

He considered the question thoughtfully and looked at her with a sadness in his eyes, "I… I really don't know what to say. Shego…, I wanted you de-," Ron stopped himself, "What I justify for harming another isn't good judgement on my part. The things I was considering…, I was wrong."

"Fine, forget it." She leaned forward to get up.

Ron quickly responded as he saw himself as less than helpful, "They should not exist, Shego, they just shouldn't. I don't know how or why they do, but they shouldn't. Is that enough justification for you? If this is who they are, if they're _this_ sick, end it."

"Good," she sat back down and spoke softer, "good."

He closed his eyes softly, "Why ask me?"

"You haven't taken a life."

Ron understood what she meant and frowned uneasily, "When did you-"

"It was a long time ago and they deserved far worse than what happened to them. That's all you need to know." She became very quiet as she pushed the memory away, "I want you to know, never hurt anyone, with the exception of Kim - that was an accident, a very bad accident - I never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it. I can promise you that."

Ron took a moment and nodded subtly. The game's music was filling the room as the awkward silence became more noticeable. Shego thought to leave but she felt a strange need to talk to the man sitting next to her. Ron not only felt the uneasiness between them but could see Shego desperately wanted to relieve it, "You wanna… play something?" He shrugged slightly into the question.

Shego liked the suggestion and got up, "Um, yeah…, sure," she approached a wall of games, "I haven't been back here in years, but… there's been one game nobody's been able to beat me in." She looked through the library of games stacked on the wall, "Ah yes, 'Urban Altercations 4'," she grinned and loaded the game in the emulator.

"Heh, Shego, you might want to pick a game I haven't mastered every character in."

" _Every_ character?," Her grin getting more devious. She took a controller and began highlighting characters at the selection screen rather erratically.

"Yeah, every one," he smiled confidently but wondered what she was doing, "umm did you forget how to use a controller?"

She hummed a chuckle, "Did you ever play… Master Shinobugen?" she ended her erratic selection with three taps moving the cursor to the right revealing a hidden character, Master Shinobugen, the last boss in the single player campaign.

He blinked in surprise, "Wha- how- you can play as the boss!?"

She laughed, "Yeah but it's a bitch to unlock. It took me all day to get the timing right the first time," nearly a brag, "I've done it so many times against my old henchmen that it's a reflex now. I suggest choosing your best character. And a little side note, I've had way more free time than you," further chuckling, "Couple practice rounds before we start really going at it?"

"Y-yeah." Ron's not so confident answer made Shego laugh a bit harder. "Just start the game."

"Alright, here we go." Shego began slow even though Ron wanted to unload twenty to forty-hit combos immediately. Shego gave him a glare while he just tightened a corner of his mouth and rolled his eyes. "Practice round, remember? Let me show you what he can do." She showed him the character's unblockables, chained combos, and ultras. "You got it?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good, next one, fight me like it's real. Then," another chuckle, "we'll make things interesting."

He nodded, but then stopped, "Interesting how?"

"Just something I like to do. First, see how I fight."

"Alright, alright, let's do it."

They fought their match. Both of them paying very close attention to the subtle flexes of the character's animation that would give away the type of attack. They listened intently for key sounds and looked for the extremely subtle hesitation in charged attacks. Shego had but a hair of health in her life-bar while Ron had just over half. But Shego liked to piss people off. She saw her opportunity and her fingers rapidly performed a sequence of motions. The screen flashed once and an ultimate unblockable move performed. Shego placed her controller on the floor, leaned back with her fingers laced behind her head, and grinned ear to ear. Ron could only gape at the pulverizing animation that continued even after his character's life bar was empty.

While still astonished, Ron could only utter a whisper, "Ffffuuuck you, Shego."

Shego laughed joyfully, "You ready to make it interesting?" She was evil and this was obviously a trap.

"What… did… you… have… in mind?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Three outta five rounds, winner enforces stakes. The question, Ron, what are yours?"

Ron narrowed his eyes even further, practically a squint, "And you'd honor those stakes?"

"If I agreed to them, I honor them. Just ask Kim. So, how 'bout it, hmm?"

"I want Rufus here."

She sat up quickly and with a panic, "No, he's a security risk. Listen, you can pick anything you want so long as it's something Kim would approve and it doesn't compromise what we have in place."

"He's not a risk! He's super smart and-"

She quickly put up and waved a finger, "Stop. No. I'm serious. I'll give you that he's eerily brilliant for his species, but he isn't, I dunno, 'mature' enough. And you think, even for a second, he'll start believing that I didn't brainwash you and everyone here to work together with me?" She saw Ron losing interest in her high stakes game, "Here's what I'll do, when things aren't total shit and our plans are more underway, we can work out some visitation plans. Until then, I really need to be careful and need everyone's help to do that."

Ron sighed, "Alright. I guess I don't really have anything else."

 _Damn it all._ "Really?" Shego didn't like people wiggling out of her high stakes challenges.

With a shrug, "He's my best bud."

She slumped in her seat and let out a heavy sigh, "I'll think of something for your little friend, okay? But right now, I really can't."

Ron was silent and obviously disappointed. He didn't agree with Shego but he was beginning to realize she was keeping tabs on every single person involved. Rufus would be another moving part with a lot less control. The concept, the growing knowledge of how much Shego was keeping track of made him a lot more sympathetic of her efforts to keep everyone safe. "I-I think I get it. Sorry."

"Don't be," another sigh, "I guess that kills the mood for that match." Shego stretched her legs and arms while sitting and went back to lazily relaxing in her seat.

Ron expected her to leave and when she didn't, "Um did you want me to leave or…"

"Huh? No?"

"It's just that…," a moment to think of the right words, "I never been this close in proximity to you before and you haven't called me a buffoon… I don't think we even talked this long before. Do you have a concussion?" Ron was sincere with his question.

Shego snorted her laughter, "You're still a buffoon. There's just no changing that. It's weird right?"

"It's awkweird."

A roll of her eyes, "Ugh, who talks like that?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm still surprised you're not with Kim. Why _are_ you still here?"

She playfully acted offended with a hand to her chest, "Not enjoying my company?"

He put up his hands defensively, "Hey, I didn't say that. I'm just curious."

She huffed, "I dunno… seeing if there's any loose ends with you and me. Seeing where the moral good is," she rolled her eyes upward a little more exaggeratedly and waved a hand. "Seeing if you and I can be in the same room together without tearing each other's heads off… or breaking each other's ribs." A suggestive look.

Ron tried to move past that detail, "So far so good."

"Heh, so it seems."

"It's still weird."

"Shut up." They both smirked at each other.

~oO0Oo~

At Go Tower, Tim walked around for appliances he was confident he could take apart and put back together again without anyone noticing. He also didn't want to risk breaking something expensive and be unable to repair it like he could at home. Home, something he wasn't used to being away from for so long. And even though he was having a good time in the large expansive tower, home was something he was beginning to miss. As he was searching, he was startled by Wego as he came around the corner.

Wego greeted him, "Hey…," He thought a moment, flipping a coin in his head, "Jim?"

He smiled, "Tim."

Wego playfully snapped his fingers in mock disappointment, "Damn, one day though, I'll get it right and it'll be glorious," he gave a charming smile.

Tim smirked, "Hey we can't all have the luxury of having the same name as our brother."

"Ha! Wouldn't call it a luxury, bud."

A curious narrowing of his eyes, "Why _do_ you have the same name as your brother?"

Wego smiled. The hesitation carried a hint of unease. Was it too personal? Too secret? Tim felt a little embarrassed. Wego thought a bit but he did finally respond holding a charm that seemed all too serious, "Well, let me ask you this. You're close with your brother right?"

"Yep, of course. We're practically the same pers- ohhhh, IS THAT IT?" excited, "When you got your powers did you get split into two but you can't fuse back together again? Does it feel weird? When you eat does it go out your brother's umm… sorry."

Wego chuckled, "Creative but no. We were born twins. We weren't named the same at birth, but _that_ information is gone. Anything about our normal life, before I can even remember, is gone. We became Wego because it's easier for me - us. Our powers, they link us together so strongly that we are one mind." He paused a moment and looked at Tim's curious eyes, "I'll tell you what, a little later today we can talk about it if you want." Wego smiled gently, "If you want to know what it's like, think about all your thoughts, and I mean _all_ of them, and you sharing them with Jim without holding back."

Tim nearly gasped. His wide eyes was enough of a tell to make Wego laugh again. "You have no privacy?"

"When you convince yourself that your brother is the same person as you, you treat it that way. My brother and I are close because we know each other so well. No secrets is the closest bond anyone can have. I'd say I'm lucky."

Tim thought deeply about what he said. He nodded in agreement, but still couldn't wrap his head around telling Jim about some of his thoughts. The concept was humiliating.

Wego chuckled, "You don't seem to _really_ agree."

Tim blushed, the thoughts he had he felt he could never share with anyone, "It's difficult for me to conceptualize and for you it's a reality. I mean," he came to a whisper, "I've got some pretty… messed up… fantasies."

Wego couldn't hold back his laughter, "We all do, Tim. They only get more weird as you get older. Alright, I don't mean to cut you short, but I gotta find out what my brothers are up to. They've been acting strange lately and I've gotta make sure they don't hurt themselves. We'll catch up, I promise."

"Right, okay… do you think it's about Kim?"

"It is but I'm not allowed to know about any of that."

"Yeah, us either." Tim hung his head low.

"I'm sure it's for the best. They'll come around."

"...Yeah."

~oO0Oo~

In their shared apartment, Cynthia walked up to Will in his office with a quiet sense of need. "Heeey, babe." She held a few sheets of paper in her hands.

Without looking up he continued to work on his computer. He responded with a flat voice, "Hello, Cyn." It was obvious she wanted something.

She briefly cleared her throat, "I need you to approve this." She handed the documents in front of him. A form requiring a signature from her superior.

Will paused and took a look. A moment to read through, "This is a request to put in Disaster Recovery test… tomorrow." He looked up at her disapprovingly. A look to say that she couldn't possibly be serious.

"Mm hm." An escalated pitch in her voice was her attempt to set the mood a little lighter. She nervously brushed a hand through her hair.

Will dropped his hands to his desk, "Cyn, you know these requests are put in at _least_ a month's notice in advance; bare minimum."

She nodded and attempted to defend, "It'll be like the real deal with… _real_ hacking." She smiled uneasily but she knew she was asking far too much. She knew this would anger him.

"Cyn-"

She cut him off and laid into him. "You only gave me two weeks! _Now,_ less than one. There's something there," she plead her case, "Will, it's there. You gotta do this." She knew she had no evidence but that was the point of the D.R. Test - to get it. "Just pin it on me. Say I saw some vulnerabilities, say it's an emergency, say-"

He interrupted and his tone became more stern, "How long?" This was the point of their jobs, wasn't it? To fish out people who commit heinous crimes? But he thought this was a very desperate move on her part. Not to mention risky and dangerous.

"A normal D.R. takes five hours. I… I need more time."

"How _much_ more?" He was getting increasingly irritated. A strictly detailed oriented person not getting details was like ants crawling under skin.

Her eyes widened and she nudged her head forward for emphasis, "Well, I have to actually _do_ the test and then generate the report. Th-three hours. But with help… faster."

Will was silent. With eyes closed he tensely ground his teeth. He didn't want to admit it but he could sense there was more to Dr. Director than she let on. With this past week's need for more detail on both Shego's and Kim's whereabouts, the fact that they simply disappear and return like nothing happened, it was suspicious. Will could have given Cynthia more time to investigate but she wouldn't have proposed something this risky if she didn't have good reason to. It ate at him. Cynthia may be right and oddly he felt the need to trust her, "Tuesday. That's the best I can do. She has meetings between 4PM and 6PM. That is your window. Plan for the worst, Cynthia, because I can't get you another opportunity."

"Thank you." She tried to place a hand on his shoulder but he pulled away.

He looked and spoke away from her, "Don't. You know I live for this job. If you," he paused and calmed himself, "if we get caught, we're both done for. We're criminals. We're cyber-terrorists."

Cynthia was getting less confident as the risk was getting higher and higher, but, the feeling she had, pushed her forward. "I'll find something."

"I hope you don't. Just don't get caught. Change the request date and start planning now. And… tell me what you need me to do." Will was truly hopeful that Cynthia would no find anything. Dr. Betty Director would be innocent as he originally thought and a superpowered villain would be all he needed to worry about.

Cynthia came almost to a whisper, "Okay," and quietly left.

~oO0Oo~

Kim wandered into the lab, "Dr. Lipsky?" She heard some distant muttering followed by loud electrical buzzing. "Doctor… Drakken?"

Some muttering, "HeeEeere!" He sounded irritable. Kim was approaching and Drakken tossed her a pair of shaded goggles, "Quickly! Put these on!"

Kim fumbled briefly and put them on. Instantly came a bright blue electrical arc that held its shape steadily. A constant, visible, stable stream of electrical current between two nodes. Kim was amazed, "That's… that's beautiful."

His irritable tone turned now to a devilish chuckle, "You haven't seen nothin' yet!" He turned various knobs and the arc itself began to twist like a balloon animal, shaping it into a twisted squiggle. Mild laughter, "Now _that's_ mad science!" He turned it off and the arc uttered a very loud pop.

"Ahh!" Kim quickly covered her now ringing ears.

"Erm sorry, I haven't figured out how to solve that problem yet." He took out his earplugs casually. "Oh, Possible… did you like it?" He didn't seem to realize it was Kim who walked in but was oddly delighted it was her.

She slowly uncovered her ears, still ringing, and moved her jaw around. "It was pretty… spectacular. What is it?"

Drakken soaked in the praise but was stumped by the question, "It's… it's my… um o-oxo… lei… uhh ILECTI, YES! It's my super oxoleiilecti beam," he grinned proudly.

Kim figured out he was pulling the words out of the Greek language. She did the best she could to figure out other words that had the same relationship and, "Super Arc of Smooth Electrical… Beam?"

Drakken's grin deflated at how silly it sounded, "Yes. Now…, what is up in the hizzy?"

Kim squinted in confusing, "What?"

"Um, how's it on da downlow?"

"Huh?" Kim was great at finding where words derived, but not so much on Drakken use of street vernacular.

He deadpanned, "Why are you here?"

"Oh, I wanted to see if you had a moment to talk. I could come by on your next break if now isn't a good time or-or-"

His brows shot up work a pleasant smile, "I am on my break."

"You mean you did all that… for fun?" She gestured to the large hunk of machinery.

He clasped his hands together, "Yes."

"Oh… good. Can we talk?"

"We are talking."

"Right. So, I wanted to know how um- how do I put this?" She put a hand to her forehead and took a brief moment, "Are you still seeking revenge for-for," her throat became dry. Drakken only raised his brows waiting for her to finish. Kim cleared her airways and just came out with it, "Do you still hate my dad?"

He opened his mouth and then shut it. He took a moment to think and slowly looked directly at Kim with a tinge of anger, "Why?"

Kim was hit with worried surprise, "Hooo, okay, Shego hasn't told you. Um…" Kim was a little nervous to answer. She expected Shego to warn him by now.

He narrowed his eyes, "Tell me… _what_?" He enunciated with emphasis.

Kim's heart beat a little faster, "I'm sorry, I think I should let Shego tell you. I can go get her. I'll just," she began to take a few steps back, "go get her."

"No no, you can tell me," he quickly tried to coax her and took equal number of steps towards her.

"You look angry, I don't think I should um-"

"I'm not angry and I promise I won't be," he said unconvincingly, "Now out with it." He narrowed his eyes at her.

In a quick, exhaled breath, "My father will be working with you."

Drakken stayed silent and very very still. He was as statuesque as Ron when he first heard Shego was her girlfriend. Kim watched him grind his teeth without much emotion.

Kim began to worry, "Dr. Drakken?" she asked gently.

His eyebrows shot up, a tense smile behind pursed lips, and his head cocked in Kim's direction, "Mhm? I'm fine. Not angry."

"Oka-"

He struggled to maintain his composure, "When did you say he was starting?"

"Oh, I didn't. This-this weekend."

His eye twitched and a brief scoffing chuckle escaped his throat, " _This_ weekend?"

She tried to speak dismissively as she took a couple steps back as if the topic of her father was 'no big', "That's right. B-but, I mean, you may not even see him on Saturday with your date with Amy."

Now both eyes twitched to a close, "That's _this_ weekend too!?"

 _Shit._ She now knew this was not helping and was unsure how to get out of the hole she just dug herself into, "M-maybe it won't be so bad, you know? We-we picked out a nice place an-and Shego's cooking. And um-"

Drakken gave a long exasperated sigh, "Just be sure there's plenty of coco moo," he said broodly.

"Definitely." Kim watched him walk slowly and silently back to another lab. She just needed the answer to her original question, "Are you going to take revenge?"

He tightened his fists and gave pause. When he finally answered, "No," he walked off.

Kim quietly spoke to herself, "Okay."

~oO0Oo~

Kim entered the game room rather hastily, "Sheej? Sheej? Shego, you didn't tell Drakken."

Shego was enjoying Kim's pet names and smiled to it. She hadn't heard her say it for a long time.

"Heavy on your left, over the wall," Ron warned Shego playing the co-op game with him, "Booyah!" He celebrated after Shego's instant kill with her rail gun.

"Shego, Drakken. I told him."

She instantly stopped playing and deadpanned, "You what?"

Ron yelled, "No-no-no-no, stay on point!"

"I-I told him."

"Gahhhh, so close," Ron disappointingly sighed.

Shego took a sec to figure out that Kim meant the date and her father working at the lair, "What happened?"

Ron jumped in, "You stopped playing was what happened."

Shego's head snapped to Ron, "Buffoon, quiet," and then back to Kim, "Kim, what happened? From the beginning."

She briefly smothered her face in her hands, "I-I thought you would have told him about my dad by now and well, you know their history, I wanted to know if he still wanted revenge. But he didn't know why I was asking and so I said I should let you tell him, but he was insistent. So… so I told him."

"I'm guessing you didn't have any coco moo when you told him?"

Kim shook her head quickly, "N-no. Which reminds me, he said we should bring plenty of that for his date."

Ron turned around in his seat to face Kim, "Date? Drakken has a date? Blue guy, about yay big," Ron held his hand out, "The same guy who thought cheese was a good way to take over the world? That guy? Has a date?"

Shego glared at him, "Qui-ET!" Back to Kim, "How is he?"

She turned her palms up, "Um, good? He didn't seem happy but I asked if he was going to hurt my dad and he assured me he wouldn't. I-I don't know what to do." An angry, somewhat unstable, mad scientist was made to work on very important projects. Projects that would advance the equipment for transportation, defense, and offensive high-tech weaponry. Drakken unhappy was not ideal.

Shego was still as she processed what she needed to do. "Alright, all of us are going down there to see if he had a melt down."

"Me?" Ron was surprised to be included.

"Yes. Look, neither of you have ever seen Drakken 'upset' before. Not like this. This isn't another, 'oh you meddling kids' crap you're used to seeing. He gets… moody. We can't have that right now."

Kim felt guilty and reflexively wanted to put the blame on someone else, "Well, why didn't you tell him sooner?"

"Been a _little_ busy, Pumpkin."

She scolded herself internally and then apologized, "You're right, I'm sorry."

A heavy sigh, "Ron, make him some coco moo," she began muttering under her breath, "why is he so fucking ridiculous," and back to giving instructions, "be sure to use the extra large mugs." She turned to Kim, "Give him lots of praise. He'll ask you a thousand times if you 'really mean it', just say 'yes'. Ugh, I can't believe this is happening again." Shego pinched the bridge of her nose. "This could take a while."

Her guilt was settling in nicely, "I'm sorry Shego, I had to make sure."

She couldn't have Kim blaming herself, "It's not your fault. I should have told him. I just needed time to think about the 'how'. It doesn't matter now. Once Ron's done, we'll head over together.

~oO0Oo~

Ron lead the way, reluctantly, into the lab holding a giant mug of hot chocolate in each hand. Shego flicked her hands forward to encourage Ron to approach Drakken first. He rolled his eyes and proceeded forward while not really understanding why his forcibly friendly approach would help Drakken calm down. "Heeey buddy. I heard you were feeling down. So I brought you some coco moo." He raised them slightly with a forced smile.

Drakken was toying with a small piece of non-descript machinery and not gently. " _You_ brought _me_ coco moo?"

He shrugged with a polite appeal, "And why not? We're buds now."

Drakken glowered, "Buds?" He turned to Shego who was standing off to the side observing Drakken's behavior intently, "Shego, what is this? Is this your idea of a joke? _Buds_ with the blonde, noodle boy?"

"Um, standing _right here_ and _WITH_ coco moo!"

Shego thought the coco moo would help. To her dismay, it didn't, "Look, Dr. D., I know you're upset-"

"Upset? You betrayed me Shego!" He threw his hands to the air

Offended, "I didn't betray jack sh-"

He pointed at her, "Not Jack, Shego. JAMES!"

Shego rubbed a frustrated hand down her face.

Kim walked up to him slowly while Shego tried to stop her but was waved off. "He told me he regretted it. Every once in a while the subject comes up… usually when I have to stop you. My dad blames himself. He didn't say it outright, but I can tell." Kim held her gaze to his eyes to show her sincerity.

Positively dismissive and fussy, "Feh, you're just saying that."

Ron was getting tired of holding the mugs, "I'm just going to set these down here," and placed them on the nearest table.

She told him, "I'm not. If you let him, you'll hear it directly from him."

Drakken seemed reluctant to give a reply, "Say this is all true. How do you expect _him_ to work with _me_? I did _intentionally_ put you in harm's way."

Shego opened her mouth to speak but again Kim took the lead, "But now you're helping me, aren't you? You said we were friends."

"I am. I did." He thought a moment, "What if we… disagree?"

Shego stepped in, "You'll be on separate projects working towards the same goal - protect Kim."

"What about you, Shego?" Ron said, to everyone's surprise, "What? Why's everyone looking at me like that?"

Shego gave her reply stoically, "I have my glow. Priority is Kim. Stay focused on that."

Kim's brows furrowed. She took Shego's hand firmly and dragged her away from Ron and Drakken. Looking back, "Excuse us a moment," she said a little dryly. Once they were out of earshot, "What? No extra protection for you?"

"I have a suit just like you."

"No, _not_ just like me. You can't assume your glow is enough. And I swear Shego, if you have some self-sacrifice plan that you're keeping from me, I'll turn myself in right now."

This made Shego's heart skip. She quickly snapped back, "Don't even joke about that."

She leaned in, " _Do_ you have some plan like that?"

Shego gave a brief pause, "No."

Kim didn't like the hesitation, "I _can't_ do this without you. I _can't_ continue without you. If you're lying to me right now, I'm already dead. Please tell me you understand." Kim's breathing became shallow.

"I do, Kim. I'm just- I haven't figured it all out yet. Just be patient a little longer and I'll tell you more. We have a lot more missions before we get _her_ backed into that corner." It wasn't just the plans that were difficult, it was the preparation. Her plans were completely dependent on time and resources. As the window of time narrows she would need to be more aggressive in the end. She would need to eliminate key people that she otherwise relied on to investigate how far Betty's terror reached. But if she had the resources, she could take more time to get rid of everyone.

Kim grit her teeth and her eyes began to mist. She held Shego's hands, "I absolutely," her grip tightened, "cannot," tighter, "lose you."

Shego freed her hands from Kim's grip and drew her into a hug, "You won't."

Kim whispered, "Okay." She took a final breath to calm herself before turning back to Drakken and Ron.

Both had, somehow, been found laughing with a mug in their hands and managed to get on the subject of Snowman Hank. As soon as Shego came close enough, "Shego! He knows Snowman Hank!" Drakken pointed to Ron with an ecstatic smile.

With as little emotion as possible, "Yaaay."

Ron wondered if Kim settled the concerns she had, "So, Kim, is Shego gonna get mecha tech protection too?"

Shego opened her mouth, but yet again, Kim spoke first, "Yes. Whatever is made for me will have an equivalent tech for Shego."

Shego was shocked, "What? Kimmie you can't-"

Kim gave a stem look to Shego, "Did you not say I was in command?"

"Yes, but-"

"Are you challenging that authority?" Kim felt she was overstepping but she forced herself to stay firm.

A deep breath through her nose to contain herself, Shego glared at Kim, "I would like to _advise_ you that we have limited resources and time."

 _Anything's possible for a Possible._ Kim fought back, "As I see it we're expanding our staff and we're already surrounded by geniuses or are you undermining Dr. Lipsky's work that's already beyond extraordinary?" She admitted to herself that was a low blow.

Shego ground her teeth momentarily before answering, "I'm not… at all."

"Good, because whatever I get, you get, as I trust this team's brilliance." She turned to Drakken, "You're confident you can manage for both of us?"

He stumbled a bit, "I-I, of course, I cannot fail."

A tense breath released, "Good enough for me. When all of this is over, I'll give you the world myself." Kim turned back to Shego knowing full well that she was going to get an earful, "Shego, I believe we have some things to discuss in our office."

A bit frustrated, "Indeed we do."

~oO0Oo~

Kim took her seat in front of her desk and waited for Shego to vent.

Shego paced in front of her with a worried agitation, "I hope you know what you're doing."

Calmly, Kim expressed the importance of both of them getting equivalent protection, "You are not less valuable than me." She wanted to repeat herself to drive the importance of what she said but couldn't.

Shego's head snapped to Kim's as she leaned in to scold her, "I can take a LOT more abuse than you! _I_ HEAL!" she pointed to herself and then emphatically pointed to Kim, " _YOU_ DIE!"

Kim remained calm. A little shaken by the volume but she remained focused, "You think _she's_ going to use _normal_ means to fight you? You think _she_ isn't, right now, researching how to kill you?"

Shego remained silent and sat at her desk. She softly, albeit rapidly, tapped her fingers on her chair's armrest whilst calculating the extra time it would take to move the projects she already assigned Drakken forward. This also had the caveat that Wade would be required to review everything. Shego stopped tapping, "I don't want time wasted on me," she quickly corrected, "Let me rephrase. I don't want time _compromised_. Time that could have been better spent protecting you as I already have a significant advantage. I'm a tank, you're an armored car. Okay?" She tried to stare Kim down.

Kim slowly shook her head, "Everyone has a weakness, Shego, and I know yours."

Shego tried to reason with her, "Kim, I know she's planning for it. She's… building a suit of her own. It's not like ours. It's tougher. Materials I can't burn through easily. She's far from completing it but she's trying. She isn't just planning to get _me_ , but my _brothers…_ Kimmie, her plan is to get all of us and spin a story that we're too dangerous to be among normal citizens. But Kim, where does that place you? How can _you_ fight that? Listen, I know you're strong, but I've been stabbed, shot, and electrocuted. Ron even broke my ribs," she tried so hard to make Kim understand. She spoke softer, "I heal, _you_ die. And you dieing? It is _not_ an option _._ "

Kim was now forced to reveal a secret she'd been holding since the time she thought Shego was evil. A quick breath, "Shego, I can kill you." Kim looked at her to make sure she had her attention. "I could have. Back when we were enemies. I know how to stop your glow. Listen, I would _never_ , but a powerful cold blast would make your glow go dormant. Everyone has a weakness. I'm no more vulnerable than you are in a situation like this. You get the same protection as I do, Shego. No more arguments."

Shego was a little stunned, "You thought about this years ago?"

Kim briefly buried her face in her hands. She didn't want to think about it but she needed to make Shego understand. She dropped her hands to her lap to explain how it was possible, "I didn't know you could use your whole body. But, your glow, I saw it fade. You were slower when we fought. I wish I could have studied it then but I figured it's something organic. I have a plenty of access to science equipment and liquid hydrogen is something I can get my hands on. Wade could have helped make a weapon and it would have been enough while I… finished you off."

Shego grimaced, "And you _thought_ about this?"

"Shego, I love you so much," Kim's eyes watered at the thought of her gone. She felt she was breaking Shego's heart telling her this and it hurt, "I would never. I _swear_. I was just thinking, if you were _actually_ evil, if you were _actually_ going to do something horrific, there's a way to stop you… permanently." Kim rubbed her eyes as the images of Shego's frozen and petrified body stared at her in her mind's eye, "I'm telling you this because I want you to know you're vulnerable. I love you. I love you so, _so_ much. So please listen to me when I tell you, we're getting the same protection. End… of… discussion." Kim sniffed hard, "Okay?"

Shego leaned back in her chair in silence.

Kim was concerned at the lengthy pause, "Shego, talk to me." She wiped away a falling tear from her eyes.

Left speechless, she only lifted a hand, "Can you just… I just need a minute."

Kim nodded and turned to face her desk to recover from her own terrible thoughts..

Shego rested a hand on her chair, "It doubles the time to prepare."

A breath, "We're adding staff."

"It's not enough."

Kim wasn't going to let Shego have any room to negotiate, "We'll get more. I have friends."

"It's too many hands." Things were already complicated.

Kim reached, "Do you remember Felix? We can add him, we _could._ Just keep him under the same conditions as my father. And there's one other, but I'm not sure about him, and I'm not sure if we can be in the same room with him for more than a minute."

"Another friend?"

"Not really." Shego looked up at Kim waiting for her to answer. "Lipsky's cousin E-"

A firm, "No."

Kim gave a subtle nod, "Okay, it's just an option. Besides, I broke his teeth. I don't think he'd agree anyway."

Shego couldn't help but scoff, "Are you kidding? All we'd have to do is kiss and hurt him and he's onboard. You probably turned him on." Both Kim and Shego could hear him echoing 'seriously?' in their heads and shuddered at the same time.

Kim allowed a moment to pass before asking, "Are we good?"

"We were never not good."

"Okay, good." Kim smiled slightly.

Shego's head bounced up, "Oh shit, did we leave Ron with Dr. D.?"

~oO0Oo~

Ron looked curiously at Drakken after their chat about Snowman Hank dried up, So…"

"So…," Drakken seemed to have a brooding tone. He expected Ron to 'go away' since it didn't seem Shego or Kim were coming back.

But Ron continued, "Did _you_ know about Kim and Shego?"

Drakken was quick to answer, "I uh…, of course. You'd have to be a blind buffoon not to have seen their… their… chemistry," he circled his hand in the air as he spoke.

Ron glared at him, "Uh huh. And you were okay with it? Going in with each of your plans, destined to fail because they struck a deal that you can win some so long as you don't win everything? You were okay with that?" Ron leaned in a little to force him out of his lies.

Hesitant this time, "Y-ye- Alright fine, I didn't know. Happy!?"

Ron thought it was the best time as any to ask a burning questions he's held internally for some time. "How come you always have to act like you need to be the superior one all the time? I don't get it."

As if the answer was obvious, "Because I _AM_! But no one sees it. _They_ just think I'm crazy!"

He waved his hand suggestively to avoid getting riled up, "Calm down, I'm just askin' my bud a question."

A glorious eye roll, "Pfffff, since when are _we_ buds?"

Ron shrugged, "Since we became allies. Or since I went crazy. I don't know. I still don't think any of this is real. But another part of me says it is and it scares me. You mind if I just tell you a secret?" Drakken waved his hand to say 'go ahead' but internally he loved being trusted with secrets, "I'm terrified at what's happening right now. Maybe I'm still in shock but the reality is, we're allies… I mean, _you're_ helping your enemy and hey, I'm appreciative. You're not shooting me with lasers or whatever," he got up from his seat, "Here," he approached him, "shake my hand." Drakken was taken aback. "Just do it." Drakken cautiously gripped his hand and shook it. "See? It's surreal. So, why can't we be buds?"

As if to mock him, Drakken glared at him, "Because we hate each other? I'll give you that you are one of the very few that appreciates the lessons delivered by Snowman Hank but what else is there? Hmm?"

Ron took a good look at himself, "I'm _angry_ with you. I don't hate you. I don't _think_ I do. It's difficult for me to explain. I never thought I'd be shaking hands with _the_ Doctor Drakken."

Drakken appreciated the emphasis on the word 'the'. "Well, maybe you're not so bad. Annoying, though.

Ron nodded, "Yeah, I get that a lot. And for your information, we see you're a genius, we just don't like you trying to control everything - namely the world. We're shaming you because we don't like you doing bad things. But genius, sure, we recognize that. I mean who else can make a gravy-tomic ray thingy?"

Drakken suddenly felt appreciated, " _You_ remember my gravatomic ray?"

"Hey," he pointed, "I'm not trying to butter you up. I'm just saying, you don't need to pretend to be the smartest guy about _everything._ Take it from a guy who knows nothing, it's okay to not know everything sometimes."

Drakken's jaw nearly dropped. "This is like that episode of Snowman Hank where-"

Ron immediately joined in at the reference and spoke simultaneously, "Rudrich share a common goal and becomes best friends with Grinchoff!"

Drakken's eyes brightened, "YEAH!"

"Told you, we're buds."

* * *

Thank you to those who left feedback! Biggest consensus is certainly 'cut down the drama' :) To that I will respond, I will try. It's just, this story calls for a lot of it. I'll try pull it back a little. Good news is, Fluff chapter next week! :) Shopping spree. I've revised that chapter many times and it's enjoyable for me to do so each time. I'll give it another grooming and hopefully you'll all love it.

The other piece of feedback that seemed to be key was 'tell us more about Shego's plans'. This one is a litttttle tougher. As you saw in this chapter, the plan is kind of free-flowing with dependencies. In the beginning of the story, the general idea is to destabilize GJ from inside and also finding out how far GJ's reach is and eliminating them, getting closer and closer to Betty. But this plan could change. The key part of Shego's plan in this story is preparation. When we get closer to execution, those plans will be revealed in the sequel. Aaaaaaaaaaaaand I hope I didn't just lose a bunch of readers now. :/ I DO hint towards goals and plans later in THIS story. But it's closer to the end, from like chapter 25-ish (can't remember exactly) to 28. The next big hint is in Chapter 19 but it's more facing problems than planning. I'll make the hints a little less subtle if that's what everyone wants.

Here's what's ahead,  
Shopping spree fluff chapter - I liked this one  
Shego's teaching experience  
Drakken's awkward date  
Everyone's burnt out  
Cynthia and Will getting closer (closer to what)  
End of Chap 19 is a little fluffy with some Xmas planning  
no spoilers no spoilers  
XMAS FLUFFFFFF - I liked this one. Can't wait to get here.  
no more spoilers :)


	16. Chapter 16

Monday came and Monique didn't get any sleep. She couldn't, not with her anxiety, excitement, and worry. She checked her phone for what seemed like the thousandth time. As she picked it up again it rang, startling her enough to drop the phone by accident. She scrambled to pick it up again and answered, "H-hello? Kim?" She paced in front of her couch as she spoke with an arm under her elbow and she held the phone.

Kim's voice sounded bright and cheery, "Hey Monique, you ready to go?"

Monique snapped herself out of her nervousness and tried to match Kim's excitement, "Yeah! Totally!" a brief pause, "Um, what should I do?" The constant thought that she might put Kim in danger hung heavy on her mind and the anxiety slowly crept back in.

Shego chimed in causing Monique to flinch at her voice, "Just stay there, I'm going in your apartment in a sec. And heads up, I'm not using the front door, so don't..., you know..., freak out. I'll be cloaked. Once I'm in, I'll de-cloak and walk you through how we're leaving. Again, we're probably being over-cautious here, but I'd like to keep it stealthy."

"Okay." _Wait for further instructions, I can do that._

"Alright, I'll be there shortly." Shego disconnected, made her way down the side of the apartment building, and silently through the window into Monique's bedroom. She raised a brow at the number of tissues and cough medicines on top of her dresser but dismissed the scene and exited her bedroom. She stepped quietly in front of Monique. She de-cloaked and whispered, "Hey." Monique immediately screamed at the revealed - former - villainess and fell backwards into her couch. Shego immediately darted forward and covered her mouth with furrowed brows, "What's wrong with you!?," she whispered loudly, "I _told_ you what I was doing. What the _fuck_?" The window of her helmet revealed her angry face.

Monique took a couple breaths through her nose. Her eyes held her terrified look but eventually calmed. Shego released her mouth slowly. Monique swallowed, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she breathed, "You're so scary."

Shego closed her eyes at the offensive comment, "Ignoring that. You alright? Are you ready?"

A slow, nervous nod followed by a deep breath, "Sorry, sorry. What-what's the plan?" she whispered back.

Shego took out a large folded bag from a pouch on her leg. A sack, more like it. "Get in," she pointed to the inside of the sack, "I'll carry you out the window and we're on our way to an awesome shopping spree." An annoyed smile was the best she could do at that moment.

Monique looked at the sack and then at Shego like she was crazy, "I'm not getting in that."

Shego sighed heavily and took off her helmet. She held it on her hip as she spoke, "Look, I'm not getting you 'cloak-wear' for a shopping spree. This fabric is the same as my suit. It cloaks, see?" Shego pressed a small button on the sack and it quickly appeared to vanish. She pressed it again to reveal it once more. "Now, get in." Monique stared at her, very much not trusting her. Shego, impatient, dialed Kim, "She doesn't want to do it."

"Monique?" Shego extended her Kimmunicator to Monique so she could see Kim's concerned face over the video call..

Monique leaned in a little, "I'm sorry, Kim. It's just," she came to a whisper and leaned even closer, "it's not like she hasn't kidnapped people before."

An eye roll she couldn't hold back, "Yah, can still hear you by the way. Loving the vote of confidence."

"Shego shush," Shego dismissed being shushed with a shift of her eyes and let Kim continue, "Monique, just trust me. I'm right here too."

A worried face begged Kim to reconsider, "I'd be more comfortable if it was you. I'm sorry, it's just really…, _really..._ weird."

Kim defended her girlfriend, "I understand but Shego's stronger and can move you without hurting you. I'd just bump you into things. Please?" Kim offered a consoling smile that threatened to pout if Monique said no.

Monique looked at Shego timidly, "Okay, Kim." She then spoke under her breath, "This is so humiliating." She climbed into the sack slowly while continuing to stare at Shego.

Shego brought back the Kimmunicator back to herself, "Alright Kimmie, be there in a sec." She hung up and turned to Monique, "Look," she directed her attention back to Monique, "I'm going to be swinging you around a bit and you'll want to resist. I _highly_ recommend you fight this urge. Best thing you can do is curl into a ball." She tilted her head sideways, "'Kay?" Monique grunted and curled into a ball as suggested. Shego fought every urge to grin before closing the sack as a cruel joke and fortunately behaved.

Monique felt herself being lifted and began to tremble slightly. Shego thought it best to inform her of what was happening every step of the way. "We're heading to the window, don't speak, and _definitely_ don't scream." Shego carefully passed her through and climbed to the fire escape. "We're going to the roof now." Monique could hear the traffic below and tightened her eyes and held onto herself to the sound of Shego closing her window. She felt herself moving faster and tensed. She felt as if to be thrown and then suddenly there was no movement as she was gently placed on the floor of the ship. "You did good."

"Hey, Monique, you can come out now." Kim opened the sack slowly with that same consoling smile. She was greeted with a tight hug. "whoa..., it wasn't so bad, right?"

Monique was silent for a moment but finally spoke, "Why do you like danger so much?" She turned to Shego who was positioning herself in the pilot seat, "Shego, um, thanks."

A dismissive, "No prob," was her response. "Strap in guys, if we want to have a day, we need to get going." Kim helped Monique into her seat and sat next to her. Shego was left by herself but this was planned anyway. Kim would open up about their relationship and Shego would come around mid flight to open up as well.

"So, _that's_ my girlfriend." Kim joked lightly, "Approve?"

Monique nervously chuckled, "She's really not evil?" She lightly gripped her seat, not used to the sudden acceleration of the ship. Monique was not one to get air sick but she was beginning to feel lightheaded. She almost asked for a vomit bag but the ship quickly became more steady. And, almost as quickly as it came, she felt better.

Kim saw she was feeling uneasy and waited before answering. Kim remembered her first time in the ship and had since gotten used to it. She saw Monique release a breath of relief. Kim tilted her head slightly before answering with a, "Nope."

Monique was beginning to feel guilty, "I know I'm being insensitive, I'm sorry. I just want the best for you and I never would have expected that, um-"

"A sexy, superpowered fighter, genius, and oh-my-gahd lover could be my girlfriend? Did you really expect anything less?" Kim brought her lips to a smirk that radiated a powerful smugness.

Monique giggled, "Well, when you put it like that, it makes perfect sense." She was still processing it all. She looked at the back of Shego's head and then back to Kim, "Kim, just..., how? When? How did you know?" It just would not compute for Monique. It couldn't. It was like imagining an angler fish blushing cutely. Shego was so terrifying to her and to think she had a good side was positively brain stumping.

A muted chuckle, "Come on, I told you already. She's not bad. It was easy. What do you really want to know?"

She thought a moment while looking around the cabin, "How do I talk to her?"

Kim grabbed her shoulder gently and looked straight into her eyes, "Try using words?" She snorted quickly after.

She slouched, "Come on, you know what I mean. What do I say? Do we actually have anything in common? How do I…"

She raised her brows, "Talk to her?" Kim snorted again.

Monique gave a strenuous whine, "KiiIiim."

Kim huffed with a big smile, "Alright, stop whining. I'm sort of getting back at you for being a little mean to her when she hasn't said anything back to deserve it."

She arched her head back to look at the ceiling, "I'm sorry, Kim, really," she brought her head back down, "I'm still in, 'she's evil' mode. I didn't have the extensive time with her that you had."

Kim pointed, "I'll give you that but I _did_ tell you she was never actually evil and currently going through a lot of effort to make up for her past. _Maaaybe_ an apology to her would be a good start?" She tilted her head suggestively.

Monique sighed and nodded, "You're right..., you're right. When should I…?"

"Now is good as any," Kim smiled. "Should be okay to get up."

Monique took a deep breath, "Okay." She unbuckled herself from the seat and nervously approached the front of the ship. "Um, Hey-"

Shego immediately interrupted, "Don't apologize. You want some music?" Shego curiously looked over but also maintained her cool and neutral attitude.

Monique's face cringed, "You… heard everything?"

A quick explanation of the obvious, "You're in the back seat, not behind a soundproof wall. Music?" She could already feel awkwardness growing between them. She pressed for music only to drown out the predicted silence that would happen between them.

Monique facepalmed. "So um, umum mum…"

Decision made! "Yeah, let's have some music." Shego quickly turned on her upbeat ambient music but set the volume relatively low. She scrambled a moment and then remembered the plan, "So, Monique, I'm gonna need your help today."

This diverted Moniques thoughts somewhat and she was happy not having to be the one to start the dialogue, "Oh? Okay." Monique was actually enjoying the music and wanted the volume a little louder. She refrained from asking or questioning who the artist might be.

While eyes still forward to the sky, "Yes. You see, we're going to be spending a _lot_ of money. So much that it's sinful." Shego chuckled and glanced at her, "So..., I need you to keep Kim from checking or asking about prices since she'll never let me buy anything. And if you succeed, I'll throw in a bonus for you."

Monique's chin recoiled into her neck and gave a sideways glance, "Gonna be honest here, I was going to help regardless, but that bonus is intriguing. What is it?"

Shego flipped a few switches and set the ship to autopilot. She turned to face her to give her her full attention. Monique looked at her briefly then glanced at the controls, then outside, then back to Shego. Shego saw the unnecessary worry, "It's fine. Autopilot. Anyway, you help me out, and not only do you get some chic clothing before it's even on anyone else's radar, but that hefty student loan I see you're struggling with could, maybe, just, oh, I don't know, _disappear_."

Monique closed her eyes and placed her fingertips on her temples, "Let me get this straight," a brief pause, "You'd wipe my hundred and fifty thousand dollar debt if I just keep Kim from looking at a price tag while I'm still in school?"

Quickly, "Yep. And the good news is, a lot of what we're buying doesn't even have one." Shego smiled.

Monique gave her a concerned but judgemental look, "Is it blood money?"

Shego frowned, "There's no blood on _any_ of our accounts."

Monique tightened a corner of her mouth, "But it's still _bad_ money, though, right?"

Shego pursed her lips in return, "Let's just say our money is less corrupt than your Wall Street junkie."

An ever slight narrowing of her eyes, "And why do you keep saying 'our'?" Monique could feel herself asking too many questions. She looked around timidly and wished she could stop herself.

"Because everything that's mine is Kim's. Anything else?" Shego was getting a teensy bit annoyed by the numerous questions asked in succession. It wasn't so much the frequency of questioning, it was the obvious lack of getting to know each other. Shego was getting scrutinized for past transgressions when she was trying to talk about the rest of the day.

Monique was silent for a moment, but had more to ask, "Okay, okay, just tell me this. Are you just bribing me into liking you?"

Shego huffed, "Is it working?"

"I won't accept your money, Shego. But thank you."

Shego waved a dismissive hand, "Well, it's already been wiped. Nothing for you to do except wait for that 'congrats on your final payment ' letter that's in the mail."

"What?" Monique was in complete disbelief and surprisingly a little hurt after it sunk in. Oddly, it was her dream to put herself through school and still succeed. Her pride was hurt. She thought she could say she got through school without any help and now she can never say that truthfully. Shego smiled at her and thought that she did a good deed. Monique sighed and sadly thanked her, "Thanks."

An eyebrow twitched as it rose, a tinge of anger for the lack of enthusiasm for ridding a nightmare that so many people suffer from. How could a person give such a disappointing 'Thank you'? "Pumpkin, I think I'm going to lose it if I don't get an explanation here."

Kim went to speak up but Monique interrupted. She put her hands up defensively and almost a little fearfully, "No, no, I'm sorry. Thank you. It's a dumb dream, I just wanted to say I could do something myself." She was silent for a short while. Shego could also feel that wasn't the end of it. Monique looked up, "Truth bomb? I felt like the only one who couldn't do anything themselves." She turned around in her seat to Kim, "You're a genius, your family are geniuses, Wade's a genius, Ron, in his own way, kind of a smart guy despite what I saw in high school - the guy has always been able to get out of some crazy situation when he put his mind to it. Even Rufus! A genius!"

Kim tried to console, "Monique, you-"

"Oh and Shego, apparently a genius." She threw her hand in the air.

Shego huffed, "Alright, enough." Shego pointed at her, "You are not allowed to be moopy. 'Kay? I don't know you well enough and haven't done enough background checks on you. So let's try to get to know each other, hmm? But the moody self-loathing? Nuh uh, not happening." Her final words ended with a slight growl in her voice.

A bit fearful of the growing stern look from Shego, "O-okay…"

"And one more thing, you're _in_ Kim's circle of geniuses, she seems to associate herself closely to those types. Think about that!"

Kim tried to deescalate things, "Sheeegooo, calm down. We're good right?" She looked to Monique who nodded.

Shego took a quick breath through the nose, "I'm calm, I'm calm." _Ugh, this is so fucking awkward!_ "Okay, let me try again. _Monique_ , Kim tells me you're into fashion. You seem to be doing great in school. What have you been up to?" She spoke as if she read from a script and stared forward at the sky again.

That flat tone was less than inviting but Monique needed to respond, "Oh, it's um, it's nothing really. It's stupid." She began to see Shego's irritation even though Shego was trying very hard to be nice and open for her. And for Kim who was the main reason for bringing her friend along. Monique caught sight of Kim motioning to Shego with her hands and eyes. "I- uh-" Monique mouthed the word, 'What?' while Kim mouthed back with a wide-eyed stare, 'JUST TELL HER'. Monique quickly squeaked out, "I-I make functional fashion." Shego relaxed a little more. "From seamless pockets in dresses to fear-wear for women as a defense against creeps, and I also have ideas for thermal and cooling wear."

"That… actually sounds interesting. Fear-wear?"

Monique smiled a little, "Yeah..., jackets that can morph into something scary for those guys that keep persisting and get so close to you. There's a button in the pocket that turns on multiple tiny fans. It'll emit a terrible awful scream noise to attract attention and the metal tassels that hang on it start rising and shaking. Makes you look like an alien about to break out of your skin. My prototype looks a little silly, but my design is dead hot."

Shego actually giggled, "That… that is brilliant. I would buy that. No…, Monique, it's so good, I'd steal it." Monique brows shot up. "I'm kidding but it's a good idea. Would you be comfortable with me seeing your designs?"

Kim relaxed and smiled in her seat as they finally got on a topic they could talk about. She rested her eyes and waited to arrive.

"Kim!" Shego excitedly shouted.

Or not.

"Kim, Kim, Kimmie! I have an idea! Remember that _challenge_? You know the one," Shego turned around in her seat and grinned, "I have ideas for Monique, what do you say?"

Kim wasn't sure what she was alluding to and thought a bit. Shego twitched her eyebrows suggestively to her. Then it dawned on her. Her eyes went wide and blushed, _The fucking panties._ "Don't you say a _single_ word about that!" Shego snorted into laughter and Monique only caught on partially to what Shego was hinting to.

~oO0Oo~

After Shego landed in a secluded area not too far off from from the strip, she asked Monique to wait outside the ship while she changed into something more casual than her stealth-suit. Kim accompanied Monique outside and waited.

It wasn't long before Shego stepped out, put on her designer sunglasses, and looked around. "Alright ladies, where do you want to start? Clothing? Jewelry? Handbags? Hair?" She heard the grumble from Monique's stomach. "Or maybe we should eat first."

Monique's stomach began singing whale songs, "Shut up, shut up," she whispered loudly to her stomach. Bashful, "Stop looking at me like that, I didn't eat anything, I was so nervous!" Kim didn't say anything but the frozen expression while she stared at Monique's abdomen was enough to earn an angry glare back.

Shego smiled, "Then it's decided, food first." She checked the time and felt good about what they could accomplish in the next six hours. "Pumpkin, do you speak Japanese?"

"A little… why?"

"How little?"

Kim shrugged, "Yori taught me some basics," she looked at Shego sternly, "Why?"

"I'm cashing in a challenge from half a decade ago." She turned to Monique, "You think you can keep her from listening in on my conversation for three minutes?" She turned back to Kim, "It's a surprise, Pumpkin. You're not the only one who has favors owed." Shego took a few steps away and watched Monique talk to Kim for as long as the call took. She came back and spitballed a plan, "We'll eat Italian first and Japanese for dinner. Problem is, the place doesn't accept people after a certain hour. That's where my favor comes in."

Kim put her hands on her hip, "And why wasn't I allowed to hear?"

"I like that it bothers you," she grinned, "And once in a while I'd like to surprise you with something. 'Kay?"

Kim grumbled while Shego laughed at her. Monique tried to distract Kim, "So, uh, Italian sounds good. Right? Hope it's not too buttery though."

"It's not," Shego quickly dismissed, "Come on, it's up this way."

~oO0Oo~

The restaurant was an hour away from closing for the afternoon and it was still packed. After slipping the guard at the door a hefty sum, Shego made her way in with Kim and Monique. Kim remained silent at what happened, but internally, she was uncomfortable with how things worked. Soft conversations could be heard all around. Every table clothed in white and sectioned away for semi-private large bar area was lined with bouquets of flowers and pricey liquors and the repeating pattern of the gold ornate ceiling brought a taste of Rome.

Kim felt unusually guilty taking part in such luxuries as she sat down, particularly since much more was to come, but she pushed it down and reminded herself it was just for today. She forced herself to relax and just enjoy the moment. And with Shego's growing smile as if she just returned to a lovely vacation spot, Kim couldn't deny Shego that joy, especially when Shego has done so much for her - she deserved a reward. Kim smiled as she sat next to her.

Shego looked at Monique across the table who was shifting in her seat. Monique looked around and observed the other customers. She needed to ask with a sense of curiosity rather than concern, "You okay over there?"

While still looking, she straightened her posture, "Yeah… yeah. Just…," she immediately put a napkin on her lap even though she just sat down.

"Yes?" A subtle nudging of her head as she leaned with her brows rising slightly, "Do you need a tranquilizer to relax? I wanted to use it on you earlier but Kim said 'no'." Shego smiled lightly to show she was joking.

A quick jostling of her head to say no, "It's… it's not that I haven't been to a nice restaurant before. I'm just not good about etiquette. This place looks like it requires etiquette." She looked down at herself, "I don't feel dressed for this." She then spoke under her breath, "Should I even be here?"

Shego looked at Kim, "For real this time, can I shoot her with a tranquilizer?" Kim only rolled her eyes. "Monique, relax. Etiquette is for the people at the table. No one here gives a shit."

Kim poked her from the side of her elbow, "Not making the situation any more relaxing, hon."

A breath released, "I'm just saying, food enters the face, enjoy it at leisure." Shego sensed the annoyed tone in her own voice and attempted to resolve, "Alright, for every time I'm a bitch, you can ask me anything you want."

Monique looked to Kim with a raised brow. Kim only shrugged and said, "Give it a shot."

"Monique narrowed her eyes at Shego, "How does the fire thing work?"

Shego smiled with a subtle laugh, "I'm afraid only Kimmie is privy to that information. Let's work our way towards very personal questions slowly."

Kim chuckled as well, "I'm in agreement only because it would be unfair to me to have her give you all that info so easily when it took me eons to pry it out of her."

Shego defended with a glare, "You didn't have to _pry_ it out of me-"

"Pff, you call subtly flirting with you for, what, three years to get you to open up to me, not prying?"

Monique snorted.

"First of all," she cleared her throat and whispered, "age gap." She brought her voice back, "Second-"

Kim retorted, "Ah yes, how young was I again?"

"Shut-up. _Secondly_ , you were not subtle in those letters last spring. Nor was it _three_ years of flirting, it was _ALMOST_ two. Before that was just to throw you off your game, which by the way, worked." Kim opened her mouth to retaliate but Monique spoke first.

"Oooo, letters? Like love letters?" Monique's interest sparked. As the focus became less on her she was able to relax.

Shego opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it to look at Kim for approval. Kim smiled with a shrug, "Go ahead." She thought a moment, "Wait, just, you know, not _everything._ Some of that was just for you."

"I know how to be discreet, Pumpkin," she turned back to Monique who was listening intently and waiting for juicy details, "Alright, so, this little sex-mink over here-"

"Real discreet," she threw her hand in the air and looked away.

Shego gave a shushing hand at Kim, "Anyway, sex-mink was like sixteen who tortured _me_ with very suggestive-"

"Seventeen, Sheej, almost _eighteen_. And I didn't get more… _daring_ until said spring, so-"

"Whatever, she sent me letters of lust that toyed with my conscience." Kim snorted. "What? You disagree?" Shego folded her arms and decided to put Kim on the spot.

Kim smiled brightly, "I just think you're cute. The mean, devilish thief thwarted by suggestive innuendos in an encrypted letter written from the heroine with the purest of hearts." She couldn't help biting her lips and giggling. "I should write a novel."

Shego narrowed her eyes slightly as a smile crept on her face, "Moving on," turning back to Monique, "Kinky-cat," Kim facepalmed, "was telling me all kinds of good things about my green and black suit," Kim cleared her throat as she did not want Shego getting more descriptive, "Yes yes, Kimmie, I get it and yes, this was indeed during last spring. _Before_ that was how we got to know each other. That isn't to say she wasn't a tad daring then, too. Oh, the things I'm not allowed to tell you." Kim cleared her throat a bit louder. "What? I'm following your rules, Kim." Her response was a dismissive 'whatever'. "Princess was sweet, and believe it or not, I tried to push her away. I'm really glad she persisted."

Monique was astounded. She was told by Kim about how long they've been flirting with each other but to hear from Shego about their relationship and actual letters being exchanged was eye-opening. And it certainly showed on her face. "Wait, how did you get the letters when Kim was studying overseas?"

"I gave Kim a gift. With it was a P.O. box address. I asked her to write me. It was about a week before I obsessively checked it every night. First one didn't come in until three weeks later. I was dying."

"Wasn't my fault!"

Shego huffed, "I know, I know, it just sucked and I couldn't even reply."

Monique gave a small squeal, "Eee, that is so cute! Who knew were such a romantic?" Shego immediately narrowed her eyes. "Or not! Sorry!"

Shego's intimidating look grew to a grin, "I'm still bad."

Kim jumped in, "Mm, yes. Bad girl, down."

Shego huffed a laugh at Kim and spoke to Monique, "So, personal enough for you?"

Monique's smidge of fear receded and believed it to be okay to answer, "Honestly, I'd love to know more but gettin' a little lightheaded. You guys going to look at the menu?"

Kim answered first, "Shego knows what I like, I don't need to look."

Shego relaxed and smiled, "That I do. The english descriptions do little to tell you what you're getting, so if you want help, let me know."

Monique didn't expect Shego to be so multilingual, "Shego, you can speak Italian?"

"Nah."

"So how do you know what to get?" She stared down at her menu, "I think you're gonna have to help me with every single one here…"

Shego opened hers, "I know the dish. I'm guessing I'm ordering for everyone then. Monique, any allergies?"

She shook her head, "As far as I know, no."

Shego gave a little head bounce with a tilt, "As far as you know…, alright. Well, it was good knowing ya. At least you'll have a good meal." Kim slapped her arm. "Ow! Come on, I was joking." After she skimmed the menu a bit she looked for the waiter around and signaled that she was ready, "Alright, alright, I know what I'm getting," she chuckled, "this is gonna be good, so good, so good."

~oO0Oo~

"I think eating all that was a bad idea," Monique held her stomach as they walked down the street, "I'm not going to fit into anything."

A small huff from Shego, "I think you'll be fine. Now, Monique, make sure Princess behaves."

"Hey!" Kim protested.

"I got it, I got it. Just pick out the good stuff." Monique gave a silent apology to Kim by simply mouthing the needed words to her. She had a job to do and Shego was her boss.

Shego chuckled, "Yep." They all entered the store. Two tall security guards dressed in black suits and sunglasses were stationed at the entrance. Shego gave one of them a soft smile and a shoulder squeeze but he remained expressionless. Kim raised a brow and squeezed Shego's hand two times to ask silently. "Later, Pumpkin." As they got farther away, "Let's just say you've met him before under different circumstances."

Kim thought a moment, _I don't recognize him. Should I? Who would Shego and I know? Who would Shego and I know that wouldn't outright fear her? Wait, no, wait,_ "Wait, you mean he's one of your old hen-"

"Friends, yes. I _did_ say 'later'. Now, you're going to hold all questions until after you try _that_ dress, _those pants,_ and ohhhhh, _this_ on." Shego held up a very revealing crochet halter top.

Kim glared, "That is way too tiny, no."

Shego turned to Monique, "Second opinion?" She held the garment over her agitated girlfriend.

"Umm, wow. Well, I mean… actually," she thought a moment, "I mean it's worth a try."

"HA! Lovin' her already!"

Kim couldn't believe it. She slouched her shoulders and glared with her mouth open, "Mon!" she whined.

"What? I think it would look really hot."

"It exposes, like… everything!" Kim waved her hands over the small yet intricately designed cloth.

She gave a shushing hand, "Just pair it with…," a moment to look around. Her eyes went wide, " _This_ jacket." She looked to Shego, "Shego?"

Shego clapped her hands together, "Oh my this is going to be a good day."

"Oh my gahd, you guys suck!"

A lady from the store came around, "I can start a room for you," she offered her hands to take the clothing.

Shego grabbed the clothing from Kim and Monique and handed them over with a smile. "Good, let's keep looking."

Monique noticed Kim trying to find a price tag on a sleeve and collar over another article of clothing and quickly swatted her hand away.

"Monique, come on, I'm not gonna complain. I'm just curious."

She pointed to her as if mother to her child, "No. I promised. And also, come on, she paid my debt. Which, Kim, talk to me first, maybe? Okay?"

A little regret for not giving her a heads up, "I'm sorry. She insisted. She really thought you'd be happy. I, umm, thought so too." _Note to self, don't do surprises with Monique._

"I'm appreciative, really I am, but that was important to me. All I'm saying is, maybe give it a mention my way."

With her head down and looking up at Monique, "I will, I promise."

Fearing Kim's potential puppy-dog pout, Monique quickly forgave, "Good, now-" she was about to pull out a vibrant skirt of purple, red, and gold until her attention was interrupted.

"You two," Shego mocked anger, "I don't like having to talk to myself for the past fifteen seconds thinking you were right behind me. Is there a problem?" She placed a hand on her hip.

They both answered, "Coming!"

As they were approaching Shego, Kim tried to be sneaky and dragged her hands against the sleeves of some suede jackets to check out a price tag at a glance. But she was caught. She received a stern look from Monique who grabbed her hand and dragged her along.

"Wha- come on. It's no big! Ugh!" She glanced at the ceiling as she lightly resisted the directing tug on her hand.

~oO0Oo~

Kim was in the changing room with a large collection of clothing while Shego and Monique sat in couches just outside facing her door. They could hear the faint criticisms and over-emphatic reactions to the style of clothing from the few ecstatic customers browsing the store. Kim's name glowed brightly on a tablet device framed on the changing room door.

Shego turned her head towards Monique with a soft smile, "How long have you known Kim?"

Monique was caught off guard a little as her mind wandered off quickly to the short duration of silence before Shego spoke.. She didn't expect to be talking about Kim. "Oh, since freshman year. I transferred from another school and she made me feel welcome. I was really nervous being there."

"Really?" an arching brow, "Not that I know anything about it, but Middleton seemed like a pretty run-of-the-mill, bland school."

Not quite a scoff, Monique returned a small huff, "Lets just say that place wasn't exactly diverse."

A quick understanding, "Ah."

"Yeah."

"What was it like?" Shego corrected, "I mean with Kim. What did you guys do?"

"Insecure much?" Monique couldn't resist a quip. It was an auto-response to people she finds hostile. She forgot to keep it in check in front of Shego and quickly tried fix her slip when she saw Shego react, "I'm kidding. Kidding." She watched Shego relax. "She hasn't told you about high school?" _Get back on topic dummy. UGH! Why can't I stop myself?_

"She has," a rising inflection, "I'm just looking for another perspective."

"Mm, well, believe it or not, whenever we were together we often talked about guys. Wasn't the only thing we talked about. Music, school, parties and how she couldn't go to them because of extra curriculars and," she gave an accusing look toward Shego, "some _certain_ supervillains."

Shego immediately defended, "Hey, I wasn't the only one. Not like I planned on it either."

"Hm, well, she missed two good ones. A couple good guys were waiting for her. I guess in hindsight that was a good thing. Heh. Who knows, maybe it wouldn't have changed anything. Kim can sometimes be a little abrasive." Shego almost couldn't hold back a laugh. Luckily Kim interrupted.

"Hey, are you guys talking about me?," Kim spoke through the door.

They both replied with a weak and unconvincing, "Nooo"

"You _are_ aware I can actually hear you perfectly? You big liars. I only asked to make the point that I _can_." The sound of the door unlatching soon came and she came out to show what she was wearing. "Like? No like?"

Shego had slow rising smile and breathed deep through her nose. The first outfit, Kim wore black leather pants that had an added layer of lace over and around the sides of the hip, pockets, and down the shin of the legs. Her top was the first halter Shego picked out paired with Monique's recommended jacket. "The question, Pumpkin, is if _you_ like it." _Please say yes._

"I don't know, I like it, but it's not really me. I'm simple. Practical. Where would I even wear this?" Monique? Thoughts?"

"Everywhere. You look good."

Kim really couldn't see it as everyday-wear, "Really?" Kim took off the jacket and turned a little and revealed how tight those pants actually were and displayed her chiseled muscles on her bare back.

Shego put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from shouting a 'wow'.

Noticing the covered mouth and the oddly invasive gaze, "Um, Shego?"

Her eyebrows quickly heightened in surprise, "Hm?"

"You okay?"

With her mouth still covered, "Mm hm." The obvious upgrade to Kim's usual attire was breathtaking to Shego. Kim was right, it wasn't practical. It would be unwise to fight in it, given the current cold weather it would be too chilly, and given that it was meant to attract attention, would be too dangerous. But Shego loved it.

Monique had to comment on Shego's very out-of-character expression, "I think your girl is trying hard to control herself right now." She meant to say Kim broke Shego.

Kim smiled with a short giggle, "Is that so?" She angled her butt emphatically at Shego.

"Don't expose me like this, Pumpkin." A rising blush darkened her cheeks.

Both Monique and Kim laughed. Kim continued, "Alright, I guess I'm getting it." She went back to her changing room to try another ensemble.

Shego began to collect herself and looked at Monique who was staring right back at her, "What? Don't look at me like _that_."

That laughing smile slowing receding to something more shrewd, "You better be good to her, lusty-eyes." _Not that I'd be able to do anything about it!_ Monique had the right idea and good intentions to protect Kim.

Kim assured her through the door, "She's wonderful, don't you worry, Mon!"

Shego chuckled, "For your information, _Mon,_ I have no problem confessing that I love her, because I do. I also have no problem saying she's super sexy but that's not the reason why I love her. You can put your claws away."

 _No harm done, just roll with it_. "Alright, I'm just makin' sure."

 _Good friend I guess._ Shego assessed Monique a bit more. Kim certainly had quite a collection of personalities from her friends. Shego then tried to distract herself from focusing too much on figuring what common trait they all shared, "Have you picked anything out for yourself? We were serious, feel free to get something." She tried not to be too awkward, their first encounter was difficult enough. She hoped giving the needed approval to shop would make her more likeable to Monique.

"Oh, I don't know," she lowered to a whisper, "You weren't kidding, those prices are sinful."

Kim quickly shouted, "I heard that!"

Shego insisted, "No you didn't! You coming out soon?"

Kim was dressing carefully, "Don't rush me." She thought she might accidentally rip them.

"Monique, seriously, anything," Shego reiterated.

"Are you sure?" She didn't want to be 'that guy' when someone offers a free ride and then get the most expensive item.

"I am." Shego tried to be gentle when she affirmed. "Did you spot something?"

Monique bit her bottom lip briefly, "There was this _really_ soft sweater dress. The cowl neck but it was," she mouthed the words 'eighty-two hundred dollars' with emphasis and disbelief.

Shego laughed, "If you thought that was bad you should check out the t-shirt in the back," she mouthed the words, 'It's a solid ten'.

Monique in complete disbelief, she spoke so softly, "No way! Why?"

Shego shrugged with a relaxed smile, "Branding, status, nothing is really worth the price. Go grab that dress and anything else you want. I mean it, this is meant to be a fun day. Don't hold back."

The door opened again, "So?" Kim came out with a bright white, ruffled, crop top. She paired it with a black silk choker and an asymmetrical black skirt that was long in the back and short in the front. She wore black heels that had several layers of sheer cloth in the shape of a tied bow.

Shego became tense and gripped her seat tightly and took slow deep breaths.

Kim eye-rolled, "Oh grow up, Shego. Mon?"

Monique couldn't contain her laughter, "You want some tissues for that nose bleed, Shego?"

Embarrassed to be called out, "Shuuut uuup."

Monique gave her approval, "Kim, that _does_ look amazing. I'd ask for you to turn around but I'm a little afraid your girl's gonna pass out."

Shego got up, "Could you grab that dress you wanted? I need to tell Kimmie something."

Monique huffed with a smile, "Uh huh, sure." She went off to look at some clothing while the last thing she saw as she turned her head back was Shego closing the door to the changing room with Kim.

Shego looked into Kim's eyes, "Sorry."

Kim raised a brow, "For-" She was cut off by a kiss. Hands groped her back. Kim giggled into her kiss. With their foreheads still pressed against each other, "That good, huh?"

"Damn your midriff, Kimmie, and how it tortures me so."

Kim laughed and then gave a more disapproving smile, "You know I can see the price tags now, right?"

"Did you behave?"

"Not at all."

"And?"

"Your expression is priceless and I'm not going to do this often. But…, I can seriously buy a car with what I'm wearing. How many people could I help with what these clothes are priced at?"

The indecisiveness was painful. Shego whined hard, "Kimmieeee?"

A guilty sigh, "We're getting them but can we _please_ donate something to some charity? This guilt is going to kill me if I don't."

Shego hugged her warmly, happy to be taking the collection of designer clothing home for Kim, "You know you're too good for your own good. Pick one out, I'll donate anonymously. 'Kay?"

"Thank you. I tried the others on already. Two of them are going to be just for you, not in public. One I didn't like."

Disappointed, "Aww, which one?"

"This… is lingerie and kinda itchy." She held up a sheer black t-shirt with thin, suede sleeves.

"Okay. Totally not lingerie, but it's okay. We won't get it."

Kim gave her a soft peck on the cheek, "You wait outside while I wrap this up."

She was filled with more disappointment, "Aww."

"I won't be able to get those hands off me if you stay."

"I'll behave."

"I won't," she smiled devilishly.

Shego gave a soft chuckle, "Okay." Shego say on the couch again and let her move wander a bit until she saw Monique follow a woman to a dressing room who was carrying quite a hefty pile of clothing. "Umm, find something you like, did you?"

Monique sheepishly smiled, "Is it okay? I won't get a lot, but a chance like this doesn't come often, so I thought I could pretend for just a little bit. Is it too much? It's too much. I'll-"

"It's fine, knock yourself out. We can do this again. Shush, go try them on."

Monique excitedly entered her changing room which brought a smile to Shego's face. Shego caught herself reacting this way and forced a more stoic expression.

"You shouldn't hide it," Kim grabbed Shego's hand gently.

Shego focused too much on her emotions and was easily startled by Kim coming out, "Gah, what?"

"If something makes you smile, don't hide it."

"I didn't."

"Mmhmm. What shall I do with these?" Kim held up the pile of clothing in her arms. Shego snapped her fingers and someone grabbed them from her.

"They'll hold it for you."

"Uh? Oh, okay." _Do you really have to snap? A wave, maybe instead?_ Kim kept these thoughts to herself. Today was meant for fun, Shego deserved it, and Kim didn't want to start an unnecessary argument.

"Don't worry about it. Why don't you wait for Monique while I go do some shopping that'll make _your_ jaw drop?"

Kim smiled, "'Kay."

Shego walked away casually and began to look through some clothing.

Kim turned to Monique's changing room. "So? What do you think, Mon?"

She spoke through the door, "Are you kidding me? I love it here."

Kim's eyes drooped, "Of Shego, Mon."

Monique opened the door to show off her dress. A snarky smile having felt so good to be in something so nice, "She is _not_ what I expected."

"And?"

Monique kept turning and posing in front of the mirror. The wool softly dragged against her skin with each turn in front of the mirror. She was ecstatic, she thought she was allergic to wool. The quality of the dress was warm, snug, and unbelievably soft.

"Mon!?" Kim whined.

She stopped posing and looked at Kim seriously, "She's good… but she's bribing me. So…, I dunno. She's smart, she's protective, she seems really into you. And you… are so adorable around her."

The focus wasn't supposed to be on Kim and she turned away a little, "Oh shut up, Mon."

Monique pointed at her, "I mean it Kim, you never acted like this around anyone else. You're giddy."

She scoffed and looked around, "I'm not _giddy._ She makes me _happy_."

"Stupid, dumb, brain-dead, drunk-in-love, giddy. Now shush, tell me how hot I look. I don't have anyone to oggle me like _she_ did."

Kim snickered, "I may know some villains if you're interested. Remember Senor Senior Jr.?"

"Uck, don't even joke. I vaguely remember you telling me a story of him meticulously putting on tanning lotion on himself for hours when you did a stake out outside his beach house or something. I would like that memory kept vague… He was cute though."

Kim snorted.

"Shut up and tell me I'm hot already." She whined.

"Super hot. You'll burn the hand that smacks that beautiful ass."

Monique went wide-eyed, "What did you just say?"

Kim blushed and hid her face into her hands, "Shego's been rubbing off on me. Go show me what else you got." They both laughed.

She went back to the room and shut the door, "But Kim, you understand why I'm uneasy? If roles were reversed, you'd be a little cautious, a little suspicious, right? I'm really _really_ enjoying myself, but I worry."

She understood what Monique meant. She had played different scenarios in her head as if it had been her who saw her friends with a villain. She thought she'd likely do everything within her power to try to prove that villain was still evil. But Shego, she thought, was so different, "I don't know what she has to gain by protecting us, by paying for literally everything, by holding me to stop my nightmares at night, by being only a breath away to help me and making sure I'm safe. She's sacrificing _so_ much."

"Kim," the door opened slowly, "'nightmares'?" She saw Kim shake her head not to ask. "I won't pry. But you'd let me know if there was something I could do for you, right?" Kim nodded. "Okay." The door shut again only reopen shortly after, "Actually, can you help with the zipper? I think I hurt my shoulders being so tense in that bag, sack, thing earlier."

"Heh, sure." Kim couldn't help think that would never be a problem for her. One simple suggestion and Shego would give a heated massage. She entered with a smile and zipped up her back, "Looks nice, not my thing though."

A little offended as if to imply the dress was only meant for certain types of people, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," she said defensively, "I wouldn't be able to fight in that without lifting it up is all."

Monique scoffed, "This dress doesn't start fights, girl, it ends them." They both snickered.

"Kim?" A mildly panicked voice came.

"She's here."

"In here."

"Oh, okay," _wait_ , "Why?"

Kim opened the door slowly, "So many dirty things." She received a light shove and glare from Monique.

A worried glare at Kim, "Don't drag me into your lies," she looked at Shego, "She's kidding, just a zipper. She was kidding."

"Calm down, she knows I'm joking. I just have to suffer my punishment later."

"Damn right. I turn away for one second," she had put up a hand and extended a finger, "and you're in the dressing room with another woman."

Kim quickly put a hand to her hip, and pointed an accusing finger at her, "Are you calling me what I think you're calling me?"

Shego grinned, "I don't have to, it seems the cat's out of the bag."

Kim and Monique gasped. Kim narrowed her eyes and approached Shego face to face, "You are _such_ a-"

Shego gave a quick kiss, "I know." She looked up over Kim's shoulder, "Nice, where'd you find that?"

Monique was happy to get some attention, "By that t-shirt you were talking about, you weren't lyin'."

Shego looked to Kim again, "What do you think… on me?"

"Super hot, but restrictive."

"It ends fights, Kim."

"She has a point, you'd fight someone who looks that good?"

Monique thrusted both hands towards Shego, "Ha! Thank you!"

"Flirting with my best friend, are you?"

"It was _you_ in the dressing room. I'm just trying to get my share."

That was less than comforting, "Umm, getting weird," Monique interjected. "Seriously guys, not cool." She went back into her changing room.

Both Shego and Kim snorted into laughter. Kim started, "Sorry, Mon!"

"Crazy crackheads."

Kim tried harder "Aww, come on, was a joke."

Shego looked to Kim, "Is she really mad?"

"A little."

Shego tried her best to reduce the awkwardness and sour mood, "Alright, no moopy remember? I'll enforce that, 'whenever I'm a bitch you can ask me something personal.' Ask me anything about anything. Kim has to approve though."

"Hmph. Don't lump me in like that. Too far."

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry. You wanna actually ask something?"

A momentary pause. She heard Shego apologize to her and she tried pushing down her discomfort. It _was_ indeed just a joke and it didn't go further, "Shego," she started softly, "this is really-"

"Weird? Surreal? Completely unexpected from a _villain_?"

"-welcomed. What you can do… scares me. But you're nice and funny. A _little_ over the top, sure, definitely, no doubt about it-" Shego made a point to clear her throat to move Monique along. "Sorry. I'm just saying, I'm really glad this is the real you."

A soft smile, "No question?"

"I suppose just one." She opened the door again and looked at her sternly, "Why aren't you ogling me like you did Kim? I look fantastic, damn it!"

A soft huff from everyone but Shego replied, "I've only got eyes for one. And speaking _of_ , I've got a show to put on for her."

" _So_ not fair, Kim."

Unsure what she meant, "What?"

"She _adores_ you. So jealous." She threw her hands up and went back to change again.

"You'll find someone, Mon. No potential guys in your classes?

Monique sighed, "None that look at me like the way your girl looks at you. I dunno, maybe there's one. He's a little odd to me though. He looks masculine, walks feminine. He adores women's clothing, you know, a little too much. I'm not against that or anything. The guy is genuinely funny and creative. Aaaand I'm rambling."

"Is he nice?"

A weak, "Yeah."

"Is he interesting?"

"Maybe?"

Shego spoke through the door, "Ask him out. Then you'll know. What can it hurt?"

Kim chuckled at that, "Says the woman who couldn't ask me out."

Shego emphatically cleared her throat, "We were on pretty _unique_ circumstances there, Cupcake!" Kim snickered. "Anyway, you sitting down?"

Kim sat in the couch in front of Shego's dressing room, "I am now."

Shego opened the door to reveal her outfit. The first thing she could see was a relaxed Kim trying to desperately contain her smile as she placed a hand on her cheek and her ring finger on her lips. Kim scanned the outfit slowly. She took in the sleeveless, deep, dark, red lace turtleneck which seemed to ruffle lightly against Shego's throat. She added separate mesh sleeves which emphasized the contours of her biceps and shoulders. Shego watched Kim's gaze travel to her tight leather pants and turned around. Shego flexed her buttocks causing a quiet but throaty 'huh' from Kim who tried to muffle it with a cough. And to finish the ensemble were black leather boot-heels that could do more than just stun.

A whispered, "Holy shit," came from Monique.

Kim stared with a steady smile, "It's nice," she seemed to say dismissively.

Shego took a few steps closer to Kim and dragged her hands from her thigh to hip and posed, "Just nice?" she said sweetly.

Kim took a deep breath through her nose as Shego had before, "Mmhm."

"Hmm, well, that's just not good enough. I guess I'll have to put this back," she mocked her disappointment and frowned sadly.

"I-I didn't say," Kim lost her breath and coughed lightly again, "You-you don't have to, um, put it back."

Shego dramatized her voice, "Hm? What's that? You mean… you like it?"

Kim tried to contain her laughter with her smile getting tighter. She grunted with a twitch of her brow, "Mmhm."

Monique snorted at their playfulness, "Are you guys always like this? Jeez Kim, I've never seen you like this."

Shego made her voice a little lustier, "Do you want to feel how soft this is, Pumpkin?" She teased and made every moment difficult for Kim.

"Alllllright, I guess I'm going to try on more clothes now!" Monique stepped back into her room and was a bit disappointed. Her best friend was no longer paying attention to her at all and she felt ditched.

Shego leaned in close to Kim and whispered, "You're _actually_ drooling, hon."

Kim's eyes fluttered to consciousness and wiped her mouth, "I am not!"

Shego couldn't hold back her laughter and went back to her dressing room. "Just a couple more and I'm done. Ah that was fun. Hey Monique, you're saying I'm the _only_ one that's turned Kimmie's brain to goo?"

"Someone's got an inflated ego," Kim said sarcastically.

Monique agreed with Shego, "Kim, if Shego went any longer, you'd be leaving brain-stains on the couch."

"Ah haha!"

"Mon!" Kim whined again.

"Just sayin'"

"You okay, Mon?" Kim could sense a bit of sourness.

"Yeah," she dragged out the word.

"Mon?," Kim dragged out the word in the same manner.

"No moopy!"

"No, it's cool, really. No moopy. Do we really have to say 'moopy'?"

"Third-wheel syndrome?," Shego interjected bluntly.

"Shego!" Kim admonished.

"A little."

"What?," Kim shocked, "Mon, I didn't mean to-"

"I know that Kim. You've got Shego, and that's cool. Honestly, if I had what you had, I probably would have snuck out while you were in a dressing room. Hell, _I_ almost jumped Shego, damn!"

Kim didn't like that, "Hey wait-"

"Kim, you know what I mean. You went into a vegetative state in three seconds flat for good reason and I felt a teensy bit ignored. I know I shouldn't, just something I'm not used to since this is kind of _our_ thing."

Kim opened her mouth but Shego spoke first, "Monique, come to my changing room."

Her response, "Umm…"

Kim's response, " _UMMM!"_

"Kimmie, shush. Monique, it's fine."

Monique came out and shrugged at Kim and then opened the door to Shego. Shego put her finger to her own lips to signal to stay quiet. This, of course, didn't make Monique feel any more comfortable. Shego rolled her eyes at her discomfort and then held up a long black dress with a deep plunge in the front. She pointed to it and then in Kim's direction and then turned a palm up with a shrug.

Monique mouthed the word 'Oh' and thought hard. Monique pointed in Kim's direction, then the dress, and gave a thumbs up, but held up her hand to say 'but' and dragged her hand down her chest to indicate the deep exposing plunge in the dress and shook her hand to say Kim would never wear it.

Shego pursed her lips having had the feeling that would be the case. She held up another dress. It was a classic 'little-black-dress' with spaghetti straps. She also held up a cute small but fluffy black coat to go with it.

Kim didn't like the long silence, "So uhh, whatcha guys doin' in there?"

"She wanted to jump me, so I'm letting her."

Monique glared at Shego who just waved her off.

"Uh huh. Good luck dealing with her ego."

Shego opened the door and stuck her head out, "Don't be mean," and went back in. She looked at Monique as if to say, 'So? What do you think?'

Monique signals with a hand waggle. It looked good, but it's just another black dress. She circled a finger over the collection of hung clothing to question if there was anything else.

Shego held up two more dresses in each hand and raised a questioning brow. Monique pointed to one instantly and gave two thumbs up.

Shego acknowledged with a gentle smile, "Thank you."

"No no, Shego, thank _you_." The implication was clear.

Kim looked at Monique as she exited Shego's room incredulously, "Mmhm, somebody just went to ' _just_ friends' status."

Monique tried to save herself, "I was kidding, doy!"

Flatly, "I meant Shego."

"Ohh ho ho. Maybe hold that thought until you see my next outfit, Princess."

Kim threatened, "You better count on it."

Moments later, Shego opened her door and revealed she was wearing a light gray turtleneck dress that was quite revealing. Not only did it cling to her body, the material was thin enough to be considered sheer. Kim's eyes shot open and she sprung from her seat and pushed a giggling Shego back into her room.

"You can't wear that out, come on. Lines, Shego, lines." Kim hugged her, "Don't cross that line." Her voice seem to plead.

"Am I _just_ your friend?"

She whispered, "You're my everything."

"Good. Now wait outside, I'm almost done." She gave Kim a kiss and pushed her out.

"Unbelievable." She shook her head, "How you doing, Mon?"

"I think I'm all set."

A few minutes later, Shego came out in her normal clothes on. Kim was a little disappointed, "End of show?"

"There's a private showing after midnight," she smirked. She snapped her fingers twice and two attendants came to collect the clothes Shego pointed to. It was time to pay.

Monique was still a little bashful, "Are you really sure? This was fun, you don't need to get me anything."

"I'm sure. Seriously. Now stop."

Monique smiled brightly and gave Shego a thankful hug which managed to surprise everyone, "S-sorry. I got um-"

"Excited?"

"Yeah."

"S'okay. I'm gonna go pay. Keep Kimmie occupied as I've got a surprise for her."

A nervous chuckle, "'Kay."

As Shego went to pay, Kim had to ask, "A hug, huh?"

Monique's shoulders dropped and her hands went out emphatically, "I'm _sorry_. It kinda just… happened."

"Oh, I don't mind. I just find it funny that no more than four hours ago you were trembling at the sight of her."

"Shut up. This was nice and I got to see a lot of designs I haven't thought about before. This wasn't just a shopping spree, it was a learning experience. I got overexcited."

A small chortle, "She acts a lot different outside of work."

"Heh, 'work', yeah."

"You think she's still bribing you?"

"You can't deny she's trying to butter me up, but I get why. It's all for you and that's really great. How did you know? Seriously, how did you- it's just so baffling."

"It was easy, really. I know what she can do and what she _didn't_ do to me. Anyway, likeable, right? Even without this whole spree?"

"You looking for approval?"

"Mm, more like an 'I told you so.'" She winked.

Monique rolled her eyes, "Yes, Kim, she's likeable. I'm sorry."

A snicker from Shego, "Likeable am I? I can change that. Here's the receipt, you can pay me in monthly installments with interest until the day you die. Mwha ha ha haaa."

"Let me see that." Kim tried to grab it but Shego pulled away.

"Ah-ah! No! You'll find out later when you realize it doesn't do anything to our accounts, now shush."

Kim grumbled.

"Now, ladies, let's go make some poor financial decisions. To the strip!" Shego pointed to the door for more shopping. All three were walking out with Shego behind. She stopped briefly by the same security guard and slipped him a piece of paper and left.

~oO0Oo~

"I'm so tired but that was so fun." Monique exclaimed as she sat down at the high end Japanese restaurant. She was happy to sit again.

The place was mostly empty with a few tourists exiting the now closing restaurant. Shego and Kim also took their seats in front of a hibachi grill.

A large chef walked behind and grumbled, "Shego."

"Hiroshi," she smirked, "Still holding that grudge, I see."

He grunted more of his gripes, "Let's get this over with."

"Nuh uh. You promised a show with, and I'm _quoting_ , 'a gah damn fooking smile, Sheeeeego bitch!'"

Kim and Monique were not liking the tension, "Umm, Shego?"

"I do not talk like that, _racist_!"

"Hey, it's how _you_ said it at the time, you were drunk making ambitious challenges you couldn't win." Shego took a moment to clarify things, "Not to worry guys, believe it or not, we're actually friends. And we're going to keep it friendly, _right_ Hiroshi?"

He sighed, "Um sorry, are these two with you?"

Shego's smile became a little brighter, "They are."

"Wow, Shego actually has friends. Good for you." Shego gave him the finger causing him to laugh. "Care to introduce?"

"Hmm, well, you made everyone a little uncomfortable, how 'bout an apology."

He thought a moment and turned to Monique, "I don't like admitting that Shego may occasionally be right. I'm deeply sorry. A friend of Shego's is a friend of mine. I am Hiroshi, your late night chef this evening. And unlike some people, I won't _cheat_ to give you stellar food. Long story short, we bet on a challenge and well, she cheated."

" _Hiroshi_ ," Shego warned.

"I digress," he turned to Kim, "I really am sorry for my behavior, um," he stared at Kim a moment who raised a brow to his expression, "Ha!," he pointed at Kim, "Haha! Friends!?" He looked at Shego with complete disbelief, "Hahaha, friends!?"

Shego grinned, "Promise you won't have a heart attack?" He looked at Shego questionably and watched her lean in very close to Kim who was a little surprised by her sudden closeness. Kim then saw Shego's half lidded eyes and rolled hers at the ridiculousness but complied with the oncoming kiss.

He sputtered, "WHAT!?" Kim and Monique rolled their eyes at his reaction. "They're your girlfriends?"

Shego squinted hard at this, "What? No, stupid, Kim's my girlfriend, dufus. This is Monique, Kim's friend." She then looked at Monique, "Should that be Kim and _my_ friend? Too soon?"

Monique shrugged, "Yeah, you cool."

"Pff, okay, and guys, call him Hershey, he loves that."

"Letting that slide because of this bomb you set off in front of me. I thought you hated each other!"

Kim gave him a simple, "Anything possible," with a smirk and waved a dismissive hand.

"Woo okay. Wow. Alright alright alright, even though I completely disagree with you winning that challenge, I will give you the best damn dinner you have ever been served! But first! Allergies?" He bounce-flipped and pointed a very large knife at Kim and Monique.

Kim furrowed her brows ready to attack, but Shego shot a tiny bit of her glow and knocked the knife out of his hands, "Don't point knives at people, dumb ass!" Shego double checked to make sure Kim was relaxing. Her fists were unclenching. " _Some_ people might think that's threatening. Got it?" She hinted to him he should be careful around Kim with a shift of her eyes.

"Ah sorry, sorry. Just part of the routine." He muttered a 'damn' under his breath.

"No allergies all around, Hershey. Get cookin'"

"Very well…, ass."

Shego smiled and had waited for a long time for this opportunity, "Eh well, I am what I eat." The joke hit Kim a moment later and Shego received a playful smack on her shoulder. Shego took a suggestive bite at the air in Kim's direction.

~oO0Oo~

During what seemed to be twelve tiny meals and several good drinks, Shego spoke to Hiroshi in Japanese while Kim tried desperately to pick up the words and talk to Monique at the same time all the while being a little tipsy.

"Kim?" Monique tried to get her attention for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

"S-sorry, right, yeah, plans. I'm um…"

"Ugh! Hey, you two. I'm having trouble talking to miss eavesdropper over here. Can you please keep it to English?"

"Shush, shush, shush," Kim tried to wave her to be quiet.

"I asked you the same thing like four times."

"I'm sorry, Mon. I can't help it."

"Princess, we're just catching up."

"Yeah, about me. I heard the word, Pumpkin."

Shego snickered, "My pet names are only for you. To everyone else, you're 'Kim'."

"Oh, then what's the 'pumpkin' part?"

"Hell if I know. We've never said it, haha."

"So you never talked about me?"

"Oh we totally talked about you."

"All good things," Hiroshi quickly assured.

"I see." She turned back to Monique, "Really really sorry. W-what were you saying, full attention, I promise."

Monique waved a dismissive hand, "It's okay. I was just asking if you two had any plans after you finish school since you guys are like glued together. You guys figure that out or way too soon?"

"Too soon, too soon. We have a lot of work ahead of us. But after? I'm not sure," a brief pause, "I'm not sure if she's just on hiatus or if she's done with her past life. But, Mon, listen, so long as we're together, I'm okay with it."

A bit shocked, "Kim?"

"I mean it, she is the most loving and supportive person anyone could ever ask for. Don't get me wrong, it'd be nice if she didn't go that way, but it doesn't matter to me. Not any more. Not after what I've seen. But, yeah, anyway, plans? None yet." Kim gave a weak smile and sipped her drink.

"Well, alright. Maybe I can ask her."

"What? No. Don't do that."

"Why? I'm curious. Hey Shego."

"Hmmmmm?" Shego could see Monique was a little droopy eyed and that Kim tried to shush her.

Monique's eyes closed and her face recoiled into her neck, "Kim it's okay, she doesn't have to tell me. What's um, are you gonna be bad again?"

"Monique, stop."

Her head swam a little, "I'm just _curious._ I promise, if you're okay with it, _I'm_ okay with it."

She spoke to Kim directly, "You'd be okay with me being a villain again?"

Kim took a deep breath and pulled Shego in very close to whisper so that only she could hear, "Anything. Anything you do will be a blessing upon us all. You are a goddess among us and I'm so lucky to have you in my life. Whatever decision you make in the future _will_ be the right one and I'll support you the whole way. No matter what it is. That's a promise." Kim kissed her cheek and parted.

Touched, she closed her eyes to soak in Kim's words. A moment and she opened them again, "I've made my decision, Monique." Shego smiled gently. "But, I'm only going to tell Kim. You'll just have to wait."

Monique giggled, "Bummer. See, no harm done." She suddenly didn't feel so confident. "R-right?" She looked worriedly at Shego.

"None at all."

Monique felt relieved.

"Alright guys, both of you look like you're about to pass out, let's wrap this up."

Kim asked, "Mm good idea, what time is it?"

"About one in the morning home time."

"Mm, yeah, let's head back. Come on, Mon. Thank you Mr. Hiroshi. The food was out of this world."

"See ya, Hershey."

He directed his goodbyes to Kim and Monique, "Thank you ladies," and then to Shego, "Bye Troll Tits."

Shego just closed her eyes and shook her head at the giggling chef behind her.

~oO0Oo~

Monique was completely asleep in the back seat. Kim rested her hand on Shego's thigh as Shego piloted back to Monique's apartment.

Kim spoke quietly, "I meant every word at the restaurant."

"I know."

"I love you, Shego. I really really do."

Shego brought Kim's hand to her lips and kissed them. "I will _never_ go back to that life again." She kissed her hand again. And again. And again.

~oO0Oo~

Shego managed to drop Monique in her bed completely asleep. She had to make a second trip to drop off her bags. When all was settled, she climbed back into the ship and handed Kim a gift wrapped box.

"What's this?"

"A gift."

"I can see that, why?"

"Because I love you. Open it."

Kim unwrapped the paper and lifted the box. It was a dress Shego picked out. A long sleeved, dark blue dress. The sleeves to the chest was sheer viscose while the rest was knitted silk and cashmere woven with an intricate pattern. The dress would stop just above the knee. There was a pair of silk stockings and a diamond necklace. Kim couldn't stop blinking.

"It's-It's beautiful. Shego, I-"

"I wanted to surprise you with something special."

"Is-is this what you and Monique were doing in the dressing room?"

Shego chuckled, "No, no. This I did myself. I wouldn't let someone else help. I know my Princess."

Still ogling the garment, "Then, what were you two doing?"

"I made her _think_ she was helping me pick out something for you. That whole third-wheel thing needed to stop fast. I improvised. She's got taste, I'll give her that, but I still know you better."

"Shego… I just…," she looked in her eyes, "thank you. Not just for the gift, but with Monique. I know you wanted just us."

"Bah, it's fine. We have plenty of time for our own adventures. Lots and lots." Shego felt a tight squeeze on her thigh and laughed.

"What did you think of Monique?"

"Hm? She nice," she shrugged, "A little rough around the edges if you don't know her, I guess. We could probably only connect on fashion and design but not much else. Little weird she wanted to 'jump me' earlier. Have some closeted friends you need me to help out with? I seem to be real good at that."

"Pff, shut up," she chuckled, "You were pretty damn amazing in that outfit though."

"I thought it was just 'nice'," she teased.

"I was just showing off my exceptionally strong will power."

"Brain-dead and drooling, yeah, real strong Kim."

"Such an ass. But an ass I love. Are we almost home?"

"About fifteen minutes, you want a night cap?"

"Sleep, Shego, sleep. I didn't know we'd be eating that much or staying out that late. Loved all of it, though."

A little laugh, "Why not crawl in the back and pass out like Monique? I'll put you in bed. You've got classes."

"I enjoy the company," a yawn, "and I want to help you with the bags. What everything come to? Three hundred thirty thousand?"

Shego impressed, "Pretty close, but that excludes my gift."

"Hmmm," a light chuckle after hearing no follow up.

"Just pick a charity, hon."

"Alright, I'll drop it. Thank you again for the lovely day, wonderful food, my beautiful gift, everything. You better believe I'm gonna do something special for you. And soon. I just need to," another yawn, "sleep on it."

A muted laugh, "Almost home, almost home."

Kim rested her eyes a moment before asking a burning question, "What was the challenge. The one with Hiroshi?"

Shego huffed a laugh, "Cook an eight course meal but on just one burner stove." She smiled at the memory.

Kim shook her head slowly with a smile and her eyes closed. She knew exactly was Shego did, "You cheated."

Shego giggled into her defense, "I'm gonna tell you what I told him five years ago. Just because I can use my hands doesn't mean I used more than one stove."

Kim's breathing became a little slower as she was drifting closer to sleep but still managed a soft chuckle and softly told Shego, "So bad, Shego, so bad. But _so_ totally worth it. Thank you."

* * *

UPDATE:  
Gonna need to take a break. BUT KNOW I'M NOT DONE! If I start something, I complete it.  
Work is ramping up a lot. November and December are going to be really hard for me. Two things I want to achieve  
1\. I want another go on this chapter. I originally wrote this chapter back when I thought I wasn't going to need a sequel and I was just happily speeding through dialogue and all the action was happening in my head with all the environments and sounds. It was so clear to me in my head that I thought I didn't need to edit much. A few weeks ago (just before Halloween) I gave it a real critical read and then slapped myself. I added more content and didn't give it a critical eye. I generally want to get all my chapters posted in under 3 weeks at a time - so I rushed this one. I'm going to try again and maybe ask for some beta reading help ahead of time. Not just grammatical help but pre-review reviews.

2\. I want to get chapter 17 done before the end of the year.

Please continue to review, it will really help me make this chapter better. Help me pinpoint where things are a little off to "what were you thinking" - trust me it helps and I'm super nice about it.

OLD NEWS:  
First, SORRY SORRY this took so long to get out. I was very hard set on getting this out in a week from the last chapter and then life goes "EAT SHIIIIIIIT" and so I did. Work piled on some new and unfamiliar work that took some extra hours. And whenever I tried to actually get this chapter fixed up, my body just screamed at me, "SLEEEEEP YOU ASSHOLE," so I kind of had to.

Also sorry I may have put too much hype into this chapter. _I_ really enjoyed it but I completely forgot it was incredibly dialogue heavy and just assumed everyone could see what's in my head. Further apologies for the numerous sections that still need work but I thought I'd get this out there and work more on it later (Unlikely though unless you literally tell me to do that - don't be afraid to - but if no one says anything, I'm just going to think "good enough" and move on).

You guys really gotta tell me when I do bad things.

Next chapter will require some new writing because I vaguely remember splitting chapter 17 into two due to unrelated themes. I did this like a year ago. The unfortunate result is, I just moved on with chapter 18 and there is minimal content in chapter 17. I'll do my best but there might be a long gap posting the next chapter.

Let me know if you wanted more fluff with this chapter. Monique was really difficult and I have mild regret including her. BUT SHE'S KIM'S BEST FRIEND TOO. Ugh, she seemed important.

What's funny is that I agonize over this rather than the complications I have at work. Totally know where my priorities are.


End file.
